


Blue

by MadameRed



Series: The Colours Trilogy [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Aerith "I'm Your Mother Now" Gainsborough, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, BAMF Leon, Cloud likes beating up children pass it on, Emotional Constipation, Emotional Manipulation, Falling In Love, Kitchen Sex, M/M, Mental Instability, Sephiroth is why Cloud can't have nice things, Sephiroth learning what happens when he touches what Leon says is his, The Family You Build, darkness and light, griever, the writer taking liberties with junctions, the writer taking liberties with world creation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-25 22:08:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18710638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameRed/pseuds/MadameRed
Summary: Cloud and Leon have settled into a content, low-key relationship. All is going better than Cloud could ever hope for, which means, of course, that something horrible must happen, because that's how his life has always gone. Sephiroth bleeds back into existence, and Cloud must handle him before he can sink his over-compensatingly long sword into the light he didn't deserve, but kept anyway, because he really doesn't want to leave Leon. Not now, not ever.A story of love, family, secrets, sex, and devils.(Reading Red and Green are NOT required to understand the goings-on of this fic!)





	Blue

**Author's Note:**

> It is not necessary to read Red and Green in order to enjoy this. It's simply a continuation of their story.

Peace, and by extension, contentment, was not anything Cloud had ever really been familiar with.

There had been a brief time after he’d met Zack when he’d been happy, but looking back, it had burned too hot and too bright from the start. There was no way longevity was ever a possibility. He’d thought he was wild and carefree, looked at Zack and saw an impervious man, ten feet tall and unstoppable. Looked at Zack and envisioned a future, two First Class SOLDIERs leaving their mark on the world, saving people and making a difference.

It didn’t last.

The peace never did.

Even all these years later, his world brought back from the darkness and clawing its way toward a sliver of its former glory, Cloud was expecting things to fall to shit at any moment. The Heartless weren’t an excessive problem in the main town any longer, thanks to the security system and Leon’s strict schedule of patrols by those trained to handle minor threats. Headway was being made outside of the town’s boundaries, slowly removing the Heartless threat from further flung places like the Crystal Fissure. Sephiroth hadn’t kicked any doors in lately to drop a meteor on his head or impale any friends. His materia remained firmly in his possession, Aerith’s flower garden was the envy of everyone who happened to lay eyes upon it, and even Sora had found more free time lately to stop by and visit.

Then, of course, there was Leon.

Cloud _could_ have fought off the smile that itched at the corners of his mouth. Honestly. He just… didn’t particularly want to. That unfamiliar, cool blanket of contentment that settled over him when he thought of Leon was just that - unfamiliar, but far from unwelcome. He’d built this - him and Leon, and for all the fire between them, they’d stoked it slowly. He never thought that anything between him and Zack had been a mistake, but he’d been wounded once by a sudden solar flare, and refused to let it happen again. So as much as he wanted to sandwich himself to Leon’s side from the moment they’d ironed things out, he held back. Driving forward any faster would only disturb this frail, delicate contentment he’d found in life. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him, either. He was well aware that _Leon_ had been the one to start this, and yet Cloud was the one panting after him like a bitch in heat.

That wasn’t to say Leon wasn’t invested. There had grown a deep affection between them, in their own emotionally stunted way. It was mostly conveyed through piercing, weighty staring contests in the small hours of the mornings and occasionally through a brief, glancing touch while outside of the confines of their home. Sometimes Leon would brush his fingers across Cloud’s cheek and into his hair with a soft look on his face, and Cloud would have to physically fight to keep his shit together, lest he liquefy and vanish through a crack in the floor. Their tender moments weren’t common, but were indulged enough to settle Cloud into that precious state of contentment that he wanted to line with catapults and maybe Sister Ray to defend.

It helped that they kept this private part of their life, well, private. Seifer was privy, but he was the only one, given that he lived with them now. Tifa had her suspicions, and therefore so did Aerith and Yuffie. Of course, that meant that Reno did too, along with Rufus and the rest of the Turks. While Cloud only had the heart to tell the girls to leave him alone and let him keep _something_ to himself, and yes, Aerith, he would absolutely come running if he had any inkling of absolutely anything important to tell her, he had no qualms about decking Reno one night at the bar. Yuffie had screeched at him until she’d noticed that Reno was cackling to himself from his position on the floor next to his bar stool. Cloud merely sipped his beer, shaking his fist out, ignoring the way Tifa’s left eyebrow crept into her hairline.

At the present moment, Cloud was no longer fighting back his smile, though it was a little broken and lopsided with pleasure, buried balls deep in Leon as he was. He adjusted his grip on tanned, narrow hips and snapped forward, earning a deep groan from his lover. Leon’s thick, dark hair was plastered to his back by a layer of sweat and his arms shook with the effort of holding himself up and pushing back onto Cloud’s cock. Cloud ran one hand over the curve of Leon’s ass and across the small of his back, the corner of his mouth quirking upward again.

His string of happy thoughts was interrupted by Leon’s snarl, and he found himself pushed onto his back and straddled, one of Leon’s hands fisting in his hair and the other guiding Cloud’s cock back into him.

“What’s got you so damned distracted?” Leon huffed, seating himself on Cloud’s aching member and setting a frantic pace. Cloud let his hands drift up Leon’s chiseled torso to play with his nipples, thrilled when he felt a shudder ripple up his sides.

“What if I said it was just you?” Cloud asked breathlessly. Leon laughed airily, more of a throaty exhale than anything else.

“Where else is flattery going to get you, Strife?” he asked without any real bite. Cloud thrust up into him, pressing against Leon’s prostate sharply. Leon groaned, grinding down onto him and twitching as his nerves were lit ablaze.

“Maybe out of cooking tonight,” he returned. One pale hand drifted down to wrap around Leon’s cock, purpled and leaking profusely. Leon gasped, his rhythm faltering, a hand falling back to brace himself against Cloud’s thigh. Cloud twisted his fist around the head of Leon’s cock, squeezing it with just the right amount of pressure he knew the other man loved, and worked it quickly. The precome there soaked Cloud’s fist immediately, and the squelching noise it made drew a ragged moan from Cloud.

“Oh, _fuck_ ,” Leon bit out, forgetting to thrust down and instead fucking into Cloud’s hand as he came, his head thrown back, hips twitching as his body spasmed. He clenched around Cloud like a vice, fluttering and squeezing and feeling like absolute perfection. He pressed his head back into the bed and gave himself over to the sensation of Leon squeezing him for all he was worth and he spilled himself inside the brunet, crying out loudly as white spots burst behind his eyes. Leon shifted above him, and when he finally found the presence to open his eyes, he was dragging a finger through the come that painted his chest. He offered it to Cloud, who smirked wickedly and accepted the finger, wrapping his tongue around the calloused digit and nipping at it sharply. Musky and thick and so uniquely Leon that Cloud didn’t want to remove his cock from his body at all, wanted to just wait around until he hardened again and fuck him more.

Leon made the decision for him, lifting himself from Cloud’s lap and collapsing on the bed, one leg still flung over Cloud’s thighs. His breathing was returning to normal, though Cloud still enjoyed the look of the flush across his chest. Leon’s expression was soft as he looked at Cloud, hair falling in his face, and Cloud’s chest seized up, as it was wont to do lately. Leon was… god, he was fucking _gorgeous_ , and he didn’t know how to tell him that without the other man probably punching him or something. In the arm, of course, not anywhere as important as the face. Not anymore. Cloud was pretty sure Leon liked his face too much to deck him again. Throat feeling tight over how pretty Leon was in the afterglow of an orgasm, he reached over and brushed a lock of thick brown hair out of his eyes. Leon’s eyebrows twitched and the corner of his mouth quirked up in a small, gentle smile. Cloud swallowed thickly and leaned over to cover Leon’s mouth with his own, fingers threading back into his hair. Leon returned the kiss, his eyes sliding shut and his leg twining further with Cloud’s. A surge of something unidentifiable rose in Cloud’s chest, and he broke the kiss to press his forehead against Leon’s and simply breathe the same air for a moment.

This was one of those rare, tender moments that Cloud cherished so much. Silent affection passed between them and Cloud wasn’t sure if this is where he was _meant_ to be, but it was a place he’d choose a hundred more times if he could, and that counted far more than anything like fate.

Leon shifted forward and nudged at Cloud until he could press their lips together again, and he smiled into the kiss, turning onto his side to wrap around Leon again.

\---

One sunny, cold day, Cloud found himself perched on some crates by the loading dock, having been the one chosen to greet Sora when he arrived. Their key-bearing friend would be arriving soon, and he’d gleefully dragged his friend Riku onto the screen of his gummiphone when he’d made the call to Leon, exclaiming that they’d be visiting soon and staying for more than a day or two.

Yuffie had crowed happily during the phone call, bouncing around and shouting about how she was going to be the first one to greet them when they landed. It had been Aerith, surprisingly, who had shot her down as soon as the call had been disconnected. 

_“What? Why not?” Yuffie demanded with a whine, frustrated with how quickly her plan had been canned._

_“Because you can’t keep a secret to save your life-”_

_“Lies and slander!” she shouted._

_“-and we all worked really hard to get Sora’s house put together for him and we want to_ surprise _him,” Aerith said, hands on her hips, frowning at her younger friend. Yuffie pouted._

 _“I’m hurt, Aer,” she complained. Tifa snorted loudly from behind the bar. Yuffie shot her a dirty look. “I can_ too _keep a secret! I know plenty of really juicy secrets!” She crossed her arms defiantly and swiveled her barstool away from her friends._

_“Like what?” Tifa asked. Aerith shuffled closer to Yuffie, smelling gossip on the wind now. Yuffie spun around and stuck her tongue out at Tifa._

_“As if I’d tell any of you! Nice try!” She turned away from them again, pouting._

_“Regardless,” Aerith huffed, sounding very put out that no new juicy details would be falling into her hands, “we’re sending Cloud to get him. He’s got a poker face like a boulder.” Cloud looked up from the game of cards he was playing with Leon, Cid, and Vincent._

_“I’m_ right here _,” he complained quietly._

_“Ugh, fine,” Yuffie snapped, throwing her hands in the air and snatching her drink back up. “But I get to be first to jump up and scare the pants off him when he gets there!” she said severely, glaring accusingly at her friends._

Cloud allowed himself a small smirk as he waited. It had been a while since Sora had visited. Things had settled down, and the dealings with Organization XIII were two years behind them now. Sora and Riku had attempted to return to their normal lives on the Islands, but something about school rang a bit hollow after saving multiple worlds multiple times. Sora hadn’t had any parents when he left the first time, and the uncle and cousin Riku lived with hadn’t been particularly broken up about his absence, so the two of them had built their own gummi ship and taken to space, exploring every world they could find. There were still Heartless and Nobodies to deal with, monsters that would probably never go away now that they’d been unleashed in the universe. The two of them bounced most often between Radiant Garden, Yen Sid’s tower, and the Islands to visit Kairi, who had decided that she’d had quite enough adventuring. When stopping in Radiant Garden, they often occupied one of the numerous, magical rooms in Merlin’s house.

It had been Leon’s idea to construct a cottage that Sora could call his own, one right around the corner from Aerith’s; their small yards touched corners, and conversations could be had from Aerith’s bedroom and what would be the master bedroom of Sora’s cottage. It had been Aerith’s idea to string lights between her patio and Sora’s, creating a connection between them that delighted her. The finishing touches had been put on it last week, just in time for Sora and Riku’s arrival today. It had been a few months since they’d last visited and everyone, Cloud included, was eager to see the young man they’d welcomed into their strange, dysfunctional family. Leon especially, he knew, was looking forward to Sora’s arrival. Cloud secretly thought that Leon would adopt Sora if the kid had been any younger, but he tried not to think about things like that too often. Mostly because it led to thoughts of raising someone with Leon and there was absolutely no way either of them was stable enough to keep more than a cactus alive in their house.

He cleared his throat, feeling irrationally warm, and gazed skyward, scanning for any signs of an incoming ship. He thought he saw something in the distance, but it could have been a bird for as far off as it was. He checked his phone and found a text from Tifa, telling him that they had Sora’s house set up with the food and drinks for the surprise party, and that they’d all gathered and were waiting. The whistling of an engine made him look up to see that the distant black shape had indeed been a gummi ship and was growing ever closer. It was red, black, and yellow, the familiar colours of Sora’s personal ship. He quickly tapped out a message to Tifa and slid his phone into his pocket, hopping down from the crates as the ship landed with more grace than he thought Sora could manage. The engine rumbled to silence, and within moments a ramp descended. A blur of black and brown hurtled from the interior of the ship and barrelled into him, and Sora buried his face into Cloud’s chest. He hugged the boy back a little awkwardly, though he really was happy to see him.

“Cloud! It’s you!” Sora exclaimed with a grin. Cloud smirked at him.

“Sure is,” he agreed. Sora let him go and bounced back.

“I mean, there was just a good chance of you being gone again by now, that’s all,” he admitted. Cloud couldn’t deny that the words stung a little, but they weren’t surprising. He shrugged.

“Things have been quiet lately,” he offered. Sora grinned up at him.

“Good! That’s a relief, this place has been through enough. _Hey Riku!_ ” All in one sentence, Sora switched gears, bolting back toward the ship and looking up into it. “Come on, Cloud’s here!” Sora bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for his friend to join them. Riku eventually emerged from the gummi ship, carrying two empty looking bags over his shoulder. He brushed his silver hair out of his eyes and looked around, catching Cloud’s eye and lifting his hand in greeting. Cloud nodded at him, fighting down the swell of panic upon seeing the young man. It had been difficult, at first, to even look at Riku. The silver hair and aquamarine eyes were a little too unnerving, and had made him twitchy. The young man’s consistent presence around Sora, who fawned over him enough to draw Aerith’s general snoopery, had eventually worn him down. He could appreciate Riku’s dry humour, and despite the fact that Sora was rarely found far from his side, it was very evident to Cloud (and Leon, whom he’d discussed all of this with ad nauseam) that Sora was the sun Riku gravitated around. That, he’d decided, was enough for Riku to have earned his spot in their group.

Sora grabbed Riku’s hand and dragged him the rest of the way down the ramp and over to Cloud, who arched an eyebrow at them. A faint flush coloured Riku’s cheeks and he looked away, but didn’t pull his hand away from Sora’s iron grip. Sora looked like he wanted to grab Cloud’s hand as well, but didn’t, much to the blond’s relief. Cloud was pretty sure he’d just seize up if Sora tried to hold his hand, mostly because he couldn’t remember if he’d washed his hands after the blowjob he’d given Leon earlier that day.

“Is everyone at the bar?” Sora asked as they began walking into town. “‘Cause I’m eighteen now, and that’s _totally_ legal to drink in just about every world we’ve been to so far. I mean, Captain Jack let me drink in Port Royal a few years ago, but I don’t think he cares too much about legal drinking ages, or legal anything, really,” he rambled. “You’d let me drink, wouldn’t you, Cloud?” He peered up at the blond man. “Or at least keep Aerith from finding out… she’s scary when she’s mad.” Cloud couldn’t bite back the chuckle that rumbled up.

“I don’t think there’ll be any issues,” he murmured. Sora pumped his fist in the air with a hiss of victory.

“Yes! Cid snuck me a beer last time I was here, but it was kind of gross. I liked Yuffie’s drink, though. A Tonberry Twist? It tasted like blueberries, it was great!”

“You see your friends for the first time in months and the only thing you can think about is alcohol?” Riku asked, smirking slyly at Cloud. Sora looked scandalized.

“Are you implying that I’m not happy to see my friends?” He abandoned Riku’s hand and immediately latched himself to Cloud’s arm. Cloud shot Riku a dirty look over Sora’s head, but the other boy feigned innocence. “Blasphemy, this is my favourite place to be! We all just _happen_ to sit at a bar all the time, and I… I want to support Tifa in her, uh, great talent for bartending!” Riku snorted, and Cloud rolled his eyes. His opportunity to disengage from Sora came when his cell phone rang. He answered it, humming and murmuring his assent before hanging up after barely a minute.

“Change of plans,” he said, looking over to Sora and Riku. Aerith hadn’t been kidding about his poker face - he definitely felt like grinning, but he kept his face schooled into indifference. “Leon needs my help with a hole in a roof, but he wants to see you anyway. It’s just a house or two down from Aerith’s place.”

“Okay! If it’s a pain, we can always run to the market and grab some food later, too!” Sora said brightly. The rest of the walk was peppered with Sora’s chatter, pointing out things that were different about the town since he’d last visited. At one point, he hopped up on a ledge, inverting himself to walk on his hands for a while, falling behind Riku and Cloud. Cloud eventually looked back, finding himself alone, to see that Riku was walking along with Sora at his pace, eyes glued to the younger man and a grin fixed on his face. The ledge eventually tapered back down to ground level, and Sora flipped back to his feet again. Riku offered his hand to him, and Sora took it with a laugh, jumping down from the ledge. Smiling privately to himself, Cloud turned back around and paused at the corner, gesturing for them to follow.

“It’s this one,” he said, gesturing to the door of the cottage. “Door should be open.” With a small cheer, Sora bounded forward, threw the door open, and dragged Riku inside. Cloud followed close behind, crowding into the darkness behind Riku.

“Hey, Leon, where are you?” Sora called, squinting around. “How is he going to fix a hole in the dark?”

The lights clicked on suddenly, and then Yuffie was up in Sora’s face with a kazoo and a party cracker.

“Surprise!” She yanked the string of the cracker and it exploded with a snap, sending bits of confetti and coloured paper flying through the air. She blew on the kazoo and then wrapped Sora up in a fierce hug. Laughing, Sora returned the hug, tall and strong enough now to twirl Yuffie around. She squirmed out of his arms and launched herself at Riku, whose eyes widened at her enthusiasm as he hugged her back awkwardly. Aerith and Tifa were smiling brightly and walking up to them, Vincent, Cid, and Reno were standing around a coffee table in the living room, and Leon stood by the lightswitch, a small smile on his handsome face. Cloud’s stomach flipped as his eyes came to rest on his lover, and he had to resist the urge to go to him and lean into his arms.

Sora hugged Tifa and Aerith in turn, flushing pink at their praise of how good he looked despite having lived on a ship for three and a half months. Cloud edged past them, wanting to get a proper angle to observe everything from.

“What’s the surprise?” Sora asked with a laugh. “My birthday isn’t until the summer!” Yuffie slung an arm around his shoulders, and dragged Riku in on the hug too, ignoring his grunt of protest.

“Well, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you, so we wanted to throw a party!” she announced. “It’s like having our little brother home from school!”

“If school were fighting Heartless, maybe we’d have actually finished it,” Riku huffed with a smile.

“Well, there’s one more thing, too,” Tifa murmured. She shifted to the side as Leon approached. Sora stretched his arms out for a hug, but Leon only took one of his hands and pressed something small into it.

“Welcome back home, kid,” he said, his voice a little rough, but very warm. Sora cocked his head to the side and examined the key in his hand, which had been very specially made to resemble his keyblade. He blinked, his eyebrows twitching together in confusion.

“What’s this for?” he asked. Beside him, Riku seemed to suddenly understand, because he’d gone stiff as a board and looked up sharply at Leon.

“For you,” Leon said simply, staring down at Sora with more affection than Cloud had seen him look at anyone else but him with. Sora blinked again, rapidly this time, as if understanding was beginning to dawn on him.

“I don’t -” he cut himself off, his voice wavering. “Leon, what -?” Warm, gentle hands fell upon his shoulders, and Sora looked up at Aerith, who was smiling down at him.

“Welcome _home_ , Sora,” she said meaningfully. A very silent few heartbeats passed, and then Sora’s face crumpled. He fell to his knees, clutching the key as he pressed his fists into his eyes. Riku and Aerith knelt beside him in an instant, murmuring quietly to him. Cloud stepped up next to Leon, brushing against his arm just slightly.

“Good job, you made him cry,” he muttered quietly. Leon slid his gaze sideways, smirking.

“An expected side effect,” he responded, his voice kept low. He was fully prepared when Sora launched himself at him, burying his face into his chest and wrapping his arms around his waist. Leon hugged him back, and if his displays of affection toward Cloud in the privacy of their own bedroom were rare, then this was wildly unheard of, and Cloud was sure those pictures Yuffie was currently taking were going to be backed up on thirty different websites soon, to make sure she never lost them. He made a note to offer to keep a copy on his phone. For blackmail, or something. Quietly, Sora shook with soft sobs and tightened his arms around Leon’s waist.

“You guys built him a house?” Riku asked quietly, rising to stand again, his sharp eyes drifting between Cloud and Leon.

“He’s family,” was all Leon said. Riku’s features softened so drastically that Cloud thought for a moment that they’d have another crying young man on their hands, but he kept it together. He looked like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it and settled for smiling so serenely at the back of Sora’s head that Cloud knew in a heartbeat that the young man had found his light in the spunky brunet.

When Sora’s body stopped shaking with emotion, he took a deep breath to collect himself. He pulled back sharply, staring pointedly at Leon’s chest and then glancing at Cloud with wide eyes. Cloud raised an eyebrow at him, but the boy said nothing, biting his lip and pulling back from Leon to wipe bashfully at his eyes. He looked around at his friends, a watery, wide smile on his face.

“Is this really mine?” he asked quietly. Leon smirked at him, eyes warm.

“That’s the only key,” he answered. “We can make more for whoever you want, but that’s currently the only one. And it’s in your hand, so,” he trailed off, shrugging. Sora unclenched his fist and looked at the silver key in his palm, attached to a keychain that resembled his own crown necklace. Fresh tears fell down his cheeks.

“I’ve never had one before,” he murmured, brushing his fingers over the metal.

“When would you have had the time to be a homeowner when yer running all over the place?” Cid asked from across the room with a huff of goodnatured laughter. Sora shook his head.

“A family,” he whispered. Cloud’s chest tightened uncomfortably and he ached for the kid, this hyper young man who’d wormed his way into all of their lives and burrowed into their hearts to fill them with his own love and light. He glanced over at Leon, whose expression mirrored Cloud’s in that moment. Aerith let out a soft noise and wrapped her arms around Sora immediately. He reciprocated the embrace eagerly, having gone quiet with tears once more. Aerith rested her cheek on the soft spikes of Sora’s hair and looked up at Leon and Cloud with tears in her own green eyes, her face all at once looking heartbroken and overwhelmed with affection.

Cloud felt just as overpowered with his own emotions, and he turned to grab a box of tissues from the end table as a distraction. When Sora disengaged from his embrace with Aerith, he grabbed a few of the tissues gratefully, handing one to Aerith. Yuffie slung an arm around his shoulders again, giving him a noogie.

“Well, come on! Let’s show you your house!” she said excitedly. Sora balled up his tissues and crammed them into his pocket, grinning at Yuffie.

“Okay!”

Yuffie dragged Sora and Riku off to start with the second floor, while Leon stayed behind. Cloud knew him well enough to know that the other man had to collect himself for a moment. They all loved Sora to Kingdom Hearts and back, but the stoic mercenary shared a special bond with the younger man. Cloud had withdrawn two beers from a cooler and handed one to Leon, who accepted it gratefully and took several long pulls from it. He sighed deeply but contentedly, his eyes still scanning the house for anything he may have missed.

“Relax, Leon,” Tifa said, leaning against the back of the couch and swatting Reno’s hand away as he tried to drop a pretzel down the front of her shirt. “The house is perfect. Now it’s up to Sora to make it his own.”

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly. Aerith pulled him down into a hug and pressed a kiss to his cheek, and Leon flushed, but looked pleased.

“You did well, Leon,” she told him.

“It was hardly just me,” he said with a little frown. Cloud snorted.

“You’re literally the only one around here with any patience for drywall. This house was your baby,” he said.

“Whatever,” Leon huffed, turning away with his beer to walk onto the back patio. Tifa rolled her eyes, grabbing an ice cube from the cooler and making her way to sneak up on Reno. When Sora, Riku, and Yuffie emerged from upstairs, Sora was looking a little shell shocked, but immensely happy. He scanned the room and eventually found Leon still outside, and went to him.

Cloud watched him as surreptitiously as he could. Riku was chatting quietly with Vincent, giving Sora time to speak with Leon privately. Even Cloud’s sensitive ears couldn’t pick up what they were saying to one another, but he didn’t have to hear to know how the conversation was going. Sora looked on the verge of tears again, and he was pointing to the house, gesturing around the small yard. Leon pointed out Aerith’s patio and the connecting lights, and Cloud knew that in another hour or so, the lights would come on automatically, and they’d probably move onto the patio for some burgers. Sora rubbed at his eyes and Cloud watched as Leon pulled the younger man into another embrace. Cloud felt his chest tighten at the display of affection, a rush of fondness overwhelming him briefly. He stepped away from his vantage point to compose himself, rubbing a hand down his face and trying not to look like a lovestruck fool.

He stopped, suddenly, staring down at his beer bottle like it held the secrets of the universe. Is that what he was? _Lovestruck?_ Did he _love_ Leon?

He felt a twitch developing in his eye.

He forced thoughts of the l-word into the back of his mind; now was not really the time or place to dwell on them. He’d wait until he had some time to himself, though even those moments were few and far between now that he spent more nights than not wrapped up in Leon’s embrace.

He sat down on the couch, pouring all his energy into drinking his beer and attempting to look like he wasn’t in the middle of an emotional crisis. At some point, Sora and Leon made their way back inside, where Yuffie immediately set upon Sora, asking him how he was going to decorate the place.

“What if you design every room after a world you’ve been to?” she suggested excitedly. Riku made a face.

“What, Deep Jungle in the living room and Wonderland in the kitchen?” he asked, shaking his head.

“Neverland in the foyer and Atlantica in the bathroom!” Sora cackled. Riku tipped his head into his hand.

“Why do you have to encourage him?” he asked tiredly.

“What about photos?” Aerith suggested. “You could take some really nice photos of your friends, the views from your favourite places, and frame them around the house thematically, instead of just… seashells.” Sora’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, that’s a good idea!” He turned to Riku, grabbing at his hand. “We could go back and get a picture of that one place in Twilight Town to start with!”

“Which place?” Riku asked, his brow quirking in thought. Sora didn’t say anything, just kept grinning at him, and Riku snatched his hand back. “Sora, you -” And then the brunet was gone before Riku could make a swipe at him, dancing backward to go and pester Cid about something.

He thought the interaction a little strange, but before he could dwell on it, the couch depressed next to Cloud, and he didn’t have to look up from begging his beer bottle for answers to know that it was Leon.

“So,” he began quietly. Cloud looked up then, confused to see Leon’s face looking somewhat anxious and almost bashful. Leon was certainly never _bashful_.

“You look -”

“Sora knows.” Cloud blinked. “About us.” The bottle nearly slipped from the blond’s hands.

“How?” he asked tightly. Leon looked frustratingly shy again.

“He could - this is your shirt,” he said shortly, quietly. Cloud’s eyes widened as he watched a flush rise on Leon’s cheeks. “He said it smelled like you.” Cloud coughed to hide his snort of laughter, and Leon glared at him.

“Please tell me you gave him the talk about the bees and the bees,” Cloud murmured, chuckling softly to himself. Leon sighed heavily, clearly very put upon, and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

“He just said that he shares Riku’s shirts sometimes too,” he grumbled. Cloud smirked.

“You think he’s that innocent, or is there a more subtle euphemism we didn’t think he was capable of?”

“The second one. He winked three times and elbowed me in the side before running off.”

“Ballsy.”

“Hn.”

A silence fell between them, their familiarity between one another dampening anything that might have made it awkward. Cloud sat back, swirling his beer a little. He doubted Sora would say anything. He knew when things were his to share and when they weren’t; he probably wouldn’t have even said anything to Leon about it if he didn’t intend on keeping things to himself. Riku would know, of course, but Cloud worried even less about Riku saying something.

“I’m not… bothered by it,” Leon began haltingly, his voice soft enough that only Cloud’s sensitive ears would pick it up. “My intent isn’t to hide you. I-” he trailed off.

“I know,” Cloud murmured. He never thought Leon was ashamed of him, or wanted to hide the nature of their relationship. They were just… content with others not knowing. It wasn’t like they lacked all self control around one another in public and needed to hold hands and kiss one another at every possible opportunity. They simply hadn’t brought it up to anyone because it was unnecessary to do so. Seifer was aware, and even around him they didn’t hang from one another. That just wasn’t their way. Sora knew now, though. Cloud didn’t feel strongly one way or another about someone else learning of his relationship with Leon, because in the end, it didn’t affect him. At the end of the day, he was going to go home and crawl into bed beside Leon whether Sora knew or not. He would stay beside Leon even if all their friends found out in the next five minutes. His stomach would still flip when Leon pet a stray dog, he’d still try to distract him from working on the castle’s computer whenever he could, and he’d still cover those warm lips with his own just before sleep claimed him at night, every night.

His eye stopped twitching, and he smiled.

\---

“Do you think Sora’s okay in that house by himself?” Leon asked, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Cloud stood by his dresser, folding the still-clean shirt he’d worn that day and setting it in a pile.

“He’s not alone, Riku is with him. They’re probably christening every room you so lovingly put together for them,” he said with a grin. Leon looked over at him, scowling. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they’re using protection.”

“You think you’re funny.”

“I know I am.”

“Don’t quit your day job.”

“Really, I’m sure he’s fine. He’s not that shrimp we fought in the Colosseum all those years ago,” Cloud said, trying to sound reassuring. Leon’s gaze softened, and he shifted to stare at the ceiling again.

“I know.”

“They explore worlds on their own, living out of a gummi ship and keeping their clothes clean with magic. They’re probably washing their pants for fun,” Cloud added, trying for levity. He got only a noncommittal grunt in response. Huffing, he dialed things up. He shucked his pants and left them in a pile on the floor, moving over to the bed and straddling Leon, completely nude. Leon blinked up at him in surprise even as his hands moved to Cloud’s hips. Cloud pulled the sheet down, exposing Leon’s bare chest. “Seriously, he’s fine. He’s probably weeping with joy and leaving all the lights on just because they can.” That lifted the corners of Leon’s mouth a bit. “Now, can we stop thinking about what our friends are doing in their own house and start acting on what we _should_ be doing in this one?”

In short order, Cloud was sitting on Leon’s cock, riding him into the mattress. Leon eventually sat up, pausing their movements to grab Cloud’s face between his hands and kiss him deeply, tongue flicking out to tease and taste. He pressed Cloud down, hitching his thighs up on his waist and began pounding into him, cobalt blue eyes never leaving his. Leon’s lips were parted, his face was flushed, and there was a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. As the force of Leon’s thrusts picked up, the noises spilling out of Cloud increased, but he couldn’t bring himself to break eye contact. In a far corner of his mind, one that had detached itself from the blinding pleasure of his orgasm as he painted both their chests and stomachs with his seed, he thought that it was the most intimate they’d ever been.

When Leon spilled into him, eyes locked together as he groaned into a kiss, Cloud’s own suspicions were confirmed, and a sense of truth washed over him in a cool, blue wave. Heat flooded every part of his body and he couldn’t tell if it began in his ass or in his chest, where that full, tight feeling wound itself deeper into his core until he felt suffocated by it.

Leon settled into the little spoon that night and Cloud wrapped around him, refusing to voice anything that he may or may not be feeling lest he disturb the glorious feeling of Leon pressed safe against his chest. Cloud buried his face into soft brown hair and let sleep claim him. Full unconsciousness loomed in front of him, and just as his mind gave in, he felt the soft brush of black feathers across his psyche.

\---

Sora settled into his house beautifully over the following weeks, and it didn’t take long for the cottage to be referred to as ‘Sora and Riku’s place’ rather than just Sora’s. They never made any official announcement, but it was common knowledge that they were one unit, living and loving together in the house that family had built them. They traveled to other worlds, but were never gone for more than a week at a time, bringing back photos and knick-knacks to fill their home with. Every photo was a strange location - staring up at the sky through the trees in the old forest in Twilight Town, the Green Room at the hotel in Traverse Town, a statue of armour in Beast’s Castle. Other odd, seemingly random locations. When asked about it, Riku would just huff and talk about how actually _weird_ Sora really was, even if no one believed him. Sora would just hum cheerfully to himself, ignoring the small blush that would creep up Riku’s cheeks.

They were around a lot more, as the weeks crept along, much to everyone’s delight. When asked about it, Sora just shrugged, grinning, and told them that he had a home and a family to keep him where he was needed, now. Aerith had burst into tears at his admission, holding onto him for dear life. There was no denying the effect that Sora had on the town, either. He was simply bright, and shone his light on everyone around him unreservedly, and liberally. Weekends at the bar were livelier, construction work went by faster when he was around to help with it, and there was a latent feeling of safety that came part and parcel with the person who had saved multiple worlds dozens of times over.

Still, Cloud couldn’t shake the growing feeling of unease that snowballed as the weeks passed. It clung to him like an oil stain that he couldn’t wash off, and he felt himself growing paranoid again. He half expected Sephiroth to show up at his doorstep and drop kick him through his kitchen wall, but he knew better. It _was_ Sephiroth, of course. It was always that devil, hunting and haunting and creeping around in the back of his mind. He knew it was only a matter of time until the darkness that dwelled within him rose up and birthed Sephiroth back into the world to launch a fresh assault.

He didn’t know when his own darkness would make his great return, though. It could be the next day, it could be a year from now. So he trained. Every day he made his way to the Ravine trail, luring Heartless in and training until he was so sore that he limped back home. He refused to be caught off guard, especially not when… not when he had something to protect, now.

Leon, in his infinite wisdom, kept remarkably quiet about how Cloud stumbled home every night, battered and weary. He’d stay silent, allowing Cloud to shower and sit on the bed before quietly casting Cure on him. Cloud was eternally grateful - Leon was a good healer, far better than what Cloud was, even if he didn’t have Aerith’s natural talent for it. Cloud would wait until the soothing green glow faded and then would wrap Leon up in his embrace, trying to convey to Leon that all of this was for _him_ , because there was no way Cloud was ever going to let his darkness drag Leon down to his level. Whether Leon believed it or not, he was _light_ , good and bright and he didn’t deserve to be saddled with Cloud and all of his fuckery, but here he was anyway. So Cloud would keep him safe, his last bastion of light against his own mind and its corrupt manifestations.

It was an overcast day that found Cloud training in the Ravine again. He grunted as a Defender Heartless checked him into the side of the Ravine wall, and he heard his shoulder crunch painfully. His arm went limp and he swore under his breath, dropping his sword and casting a volley of Fire spells at it. The beast dissipated in a flare of smoke under his onslaught of magic, and he sunk back against the wall, breathing heavily through the pain in his arm. He lifted his sword in left hand and used it to leverage himself to stand. He clipped it to his back and slowly made his way back to his house, hoping that he wouldn’t run into anyone he knew on the way back. It would be enough that he’d have to wait until Leon got home to heal him, and that he’d probably ask questions about an injury like this. He hoped the mako would start working to heal him before Leon rolled through, but he was an unlucky bastard, so he didn’t get his hopes up.  

As it turned out, Leon was home when Cloud arrived, wincing his way through the door and immediately relieving himself of his sword. Leon was in the kitchen, preparing dinner, and Seifer was on the couch, flipping through the TV channels at a low volume. He might have been able to skirt past Leon and make his way up the stairs and out of sight before calling down that he was going to shower, but Seifer turned to greet him.

“Hey, Cloud - holy _chocobo shit_ , what happened to your arm?” he swore, eyes widening as the smile fell from his face. Cloud grit his teeth, trying to angle away from Leon’s gaze, but the brunet was already striding over to him, brow furrowed.

“It’s nothing, it’ll heal,” he said stiffly, taking a step back. Leon paused, hand outstretched, and then leveled Cloud with a glower. Seifer whistled lowly.

“Ooh, you’re in trouble for that one, buddy,” he said cheerfully, twisting around to get a better look at them. Cloud scowled at him.

“Cloud, get upstairs so I can look at it,” Leon said firmly, his hand clenching into a fist at his side. Cloud refused to meet his gaze, feeling suddenly ashamed.

“You might have to get Aerith for this one,” he admitted sheepishly. Leon stiffened, his face going blank and unreadable. He could feel Leon’s eyes boring a hole through his face, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up, expending the last of his energy into maintaining a passive facade. A moment later, Leon stepped around him and made for the door, letting it click shut quietly behind him.

“Yikes, he didn’t even slam it,” Seifer noted, one eyebrow going up. He eyed Cloud with grim amusement in his eyes. “You’re really in the dog house now.”

“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Cloud drawled sarcastically. Seifer shrugged.

“I call it how I see it. It’s obvious you’re hiding something from him -”

“I’m not _hiding_ anything,” Cloud snapped.

“Fine, then you’re lying by omission, which is probably worse in Squall’s book. Definitely more irritating,” he finished, rolling his eyes. “If you manage to keep not telling him anything after this _and_ continue sucking his dick, I’ll melt my gunblade down into a shiny medal for you.”

Cloud flipped him off, and stormed upstairs with as much vigour as his exhausted body could muster. If Leon was fetching Aerith, he couldn’t strip the way he usually would. He found, actually, that he couldn’t strip at all. He couldn’t lift his arm at all to get his vest over his head. He flipped the light on in the bathroom and got a good look at his shoulder, unable to suppress a grimace. The skin was already turning astonishing shades of black and purple, and it was definitely broken, possibly crushed - the angle was gruesome. It was swollen and angry and every time Cloud tried to lift his arm, pain lanced through his shoulder and down his back.

He huffed quietly to himself, frustrated, and sat on Leon’s bed. They shared his room now, Seifer having taken Cloud’s room for the time being. His arm hung limp and useless by his side as he took care not to jostle it too harshly. He dug his phone out of his pocket with his good hand and scrolled through it. Leon hadn’t sent him any texts, but he hadn’t really expected him to. There was a text from Sora asking him to spar sometime, since he’d been spending so much time training lately. He fired back a quick ‘sure, kid’ and began researching different ways to make your boyfriend not mad at you anymore. All he kept seeing was crap about communication, so he shut his phone off and tossed it aside. Aerith would give him that speech anyway.

He heard muffled talking downstairs and a door shutting, and yep, there she was. Convenient. The door opened not two minutes later, revealing a very worried looking Aerith and no one else. Cloud bit back a sigh.

“Oh, Cloud,” Aerith sighed, walking over to him and taking a seat beside him, on the side of his wrecked shoulder. “You were careless.”

“Hn,” he grunted. Aerith lifted her hands, casting an altered Cure on him to numb the pain that was sure to follow the resetting of bones. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Whatever’s got you so distracted is causing you enough pain,” she said with a little frown. Her hands hovered above his shoulder, glowing green as her eyes, moving down his arm and across his back. The pain deadened, not subsiding entirely but falling to a far more manageable level. He slumped in relief, tension he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying melting away. Aerith let her magic fade and then began to press gentle fingers around the deformed flesh of Cloud’s shoulder. He set his lips in a thin line and shut his eyes, breathing steadily through his nose.

“You really did a number on yourself,” she said, probing into an indent left where bone _should_ be, but wasn’t.

“Well it’s not like _I_ did this to myself,” he grunted.

“Didn’t you?” she hummed, clearly unhappy. Cloud opened his eyes and cast her a sideways glance.

“Are you mad at me, too?” he asked. He expected Leon’s anger; Aerith’s was a surprise.

“A little,” she admitted, still frowning. “Mostly because you keep hurting yourself and won’t tell anyone why.” She sent a pulse of magic through him, a little crease developing between her eyes. “I’ll have to heal your shoulder while it’s dislocated, reset it, and then heal it again.” She flicked her gaze up to him. “It’s not going to feel good.” Cloud laughed bitterly.

“Just do it,” he said. She cupped her hands and allowed her magic to flow again, green illuminating the room as the sky darkened outside. He grit his teeth as he felt shattered bones knitting back together, hyperextended tendons easing into a more natural shape, torn muscle mending. It was unpleasant, but he bore it silently.

“You should at least tell Leon about it,” Aerith said after a moment. “He said he’s been healing you almost every night.”

“Talking about me, were you?” he bit out, scowling.

“Well, _you’re_ not doing any talking, and he’s worried about you,” she huffed. She pressed her hands against his shoulder a little more insistently, forcing her magic deeper. “He enjoys being close to you and feels like you’re pulling away from him.”

Well.

“I take it…”

“That I know you two have been seeing each other without telling anyone else? Of course I know,” she said, sounding offended. “Do you really think I’d let Tifa _not_ tell me?” She pulled her magic back. “I’m going to set your shoulder. Do you want something to bite down on?” Cloud shook his head shortly, tangling his fingers in the sheets beside him and closing his eyes. Exhaling quietly, Aerith braced her hands on his arm and chest and gave a shove. White spots flashed behind his eyelids and he doubled forward, grunting through the pain that radiated out from his shoulder. It began to throb immediately, feeling like it had swollen to twice its size in a matter of seconds. A fresh wave of magic flooded him, cooling and soothing his aching arm.

“But I also think that what you two have is more than just physical,” she pressed, humming thoughtfully to herself. “If you care about him, you should tell him what you’re feeling.”

“I know. Believe me, I know,” Cloud sighed. Aerith’s magic felt like aloe on a sunburn, and he closed his eyes again as she kept it flowing through him. His arm felt infinitely better, though he knew he’d still probably have to not use it much tomorrow. When the magic finally stopped, he looked down at his shoulder. The bruising was green instead of black and purple, and it wasn’t quite as swollen as it was before. He lifted his arm and rotated it experimentally. It was sore, but felt like nothing more than a hyper extension. “Thank you,” he said quietly. Aerith rested her hand on his leg briefly, then stood and stretched.

“Thank me by _talking to him_ ,” she said, her voice gentle but her eyes firm. She didn’t give him a chance to respond, just turned and left the room quietly, leaving him feeling like a sinner in a church. He picked up Aerith’s quiet voice from downstairs, though he couldn’t make out what she was saying. She sounded admonishing, though. He heard Seifer chuckle and guessed that she was harassing Leon into going upstairs. He scowled at the floorboards and slowly began to peel his clothes off, dropping them into the hamper and walking into the bathroom. Just as he heard Leon’s thick boots begin their ascent, he shut the bathroom door and cranked the water on, jumping in regardless of the fact that it was still cold. He inched it up as hot as he could comfortable tolerate it and gingerly scrubbed the sweat of the day from his body. There was blood in his hair from a small cut on his head, and he probably should have had Aerith heal that, too. He wouldn’t blame Leon if he chose to never heal any of Cloud’s reckless injuries again.

Enough time passed that he couldn’t justify standing under the spray and not calling it hiding any longer, so he toweled off and dropped that into the hamper, too. Maybe if he walked out naked, Leon would forget about everything and just bend over.

The brunet was sitting on their bed, elbows on his knees and staring down at the floor in a resigned sort of way that made Cloud’s gut coil. He could hear a voice in the back of his head, louder now than it had ever been, telling him that this was all he was good for - hurting the ones he _loved_ , because that’s what this is, isn’t it? Pathetic. As if he’d ever deserve any light at all, let alone one as bright as Leon.

Leon looked up at him, eyes fixing on his face and nowhere else, and Cloud knew that he wouldn’t be able to fuck his way out of this one. He crossed the room and pulled a pair of lounge pants out of his side of the dresser, stepping into them and fixing them on his waist before he settled beside Leon. Several tense moments passed, and Cloud could barely hear Leon breathing for all the pounding his pulse was doing in his ears.

“I want to help you,” Leon finally said, so softly Cloud thought he might have imagined it. “I’m not good at helping people like… this.” He waved a hand through the air. “I can barely keep myself under control most days, let alone anyone else.” Cloud frowned, puzzled. He’d never seen Leon look like he was about to lose his shit. He’d seen him explosive with anger, but even that was tightly controlled, barked orders and snapped replies and harsh words used as tools, always deliberate and calculated. A loss of control was not something that he envisioned happening to Leon.

“I - I should have told you,” Cloud murmured, picking at the skin around his thumbs. He felt Leon tense up beside him, and he could guess where his mind was going. “It’s not… about us. We’re fine. You’re -” _Warm. Bright. Understanding. Too good for me._

Another voice, greasy and foul, settled against him, digging claws and too-long swords into his mind. _You’ll never be good enough for him. What makes you think you have any right to sit beside him right now and explain that you’re too weak to handle your own thoughts?_

He brought his hand to his temple, rubbing harshly in a vain attempt to knock those thoughts loose and let them drift to nothing. Leon watched him, that carefully guarded face remaining so cool and collected. He regarded him thoughtfully but said nothing, waiting with infinite patience for Cloud to stop looking like a mental patient. Leon, of course, didn’t look at Cloud like that, never saw Cloud as the flawed, fucked up basket case that he was. Or, maybe he did. Neither were what Cloud would call ‘stable’, and Leon would agree, but he never seemed to pity Cloud. Always patient, never expecting anything more than what Cloud could give. Cloud owed him the truth.

“It’s him,” he said quietly. He didn’t need to elaborate; from the way Leon shifted suddenly, he knew. “I can feel him, in my head, thick like tar and bone.” He sighed, resumed picking at his nails. “He’s coming back and I don’t know when.”

Leon was still beside him for several long moments and that voice within surged to the forefront of his mind again. _One mention of me and he knows that you’ll leave him for me. He knows he plays second fiddle to the darkness that makes up the very core of your being._ Cloud pressed the heels of his palms into his forehead, curling his lip in a silent snarl.

And then warm, calloused hands wrapped around his, guiding them away from his face. Cloud looked up at Leon and the warmth he found there was nearly enough to bowl him over. His heart felt like it had migrated into his throat, ready to choke him into unconsciousness. Leon, beautiful, bright, fucking _magnificent_ Leon was looking at _him_ , at _Cloud_ , like he’d single handedly thrown every star into the sky and personally breathed life into every puppy there ever was.

“I’ll fight too,” he said, his rich baritone softened by enough affection that Cloud thought for certain that he would drown himself in it, melting in his throat and leaving him unable to breathe. Cloud let Leon hold onto his hands, tried to focus all of his energy onto the feeling of rough thumbs brushing over the backs of his hands. He dropped his gaze, feeling unworthy to keep looking up at his lover.

“You can’t,” he whispered. Leon squeezed his hands.

“Like hell I can’t,” the brunet said, his voice suddenly louder. Cloud looked up then, and there it was, that leashed, deliberate control all over that stunning face. No wonder he was the only one to ever beat Rufus at poker. “I’m not letting you fight him alone. Not again.”

“I have to, you don’t understand,” Cloud sighed, standing abruptly and allowing his feet to pace, giving his anxiety some sort of shitty outlet. “He’s part of me, I’m the only one who can stop him.”

“Don’t underestimate me, Cloud,” Leon said, frowning. “I can hold my own.” Cloud paused, turning to look at Leon. Oh. Well, yeah, it kind of did sound like he was calling the other man weak, didn’t it? It had been so long ago, they’d both been through so much, that it was easy to forget that Leon had been a seventeen year old kid named Squall once, and had taken down a sorceress. He’d heard the story a time or two and still didn’t understand jack-all about the time compression, time travel, and space. Alien DNA corrupting those injected with it was far easier to comprehend.

“I know you can,” Cloud said, though Leon didn’t look mollified at all. He ran a hand through blond spikes. “But he gets into your head like nothing else.”

“Don’t believe anything he says, got it,” Leon said flippantly, rolling his eyes. Cloud made a noise, half desperate half frustrated, staring down at Leon.

_I can’t lose you to him. I can’t lose you to anything._

_You will lose him to_ yourself. _He will know that I come from the darkness that lives within you, Cloud. He will know that you are just as filthy and corrupted as any monster. He will know that every time I am present it is because you will me to be!_

“No!” Cloud shouted, curling his hands into fists at his temples. He shook his head, trying to clear the ink left by Sephiroth’s spidery voice from his consciousness. His chest constricted, his throat closed, and breathing was the only thing he could think of, because it was suddenly so difficult. He heaved short, shallow breaths and he could feel his heart begin to hammer away in his chest, hear the blood rushing in his ears. His mind was filled with a white noise so loud that it drowned out the dark voice of his tormentor. He felt the sting of tears behind his eyes and couldn’t comprehend why they were even there. He couldn’t comprehend anything but the pulsing that his entire body seemed to be doing. Throbbing, everywhere - his head, his chest and throat, his wrists and his legs and feet, all vibrating so much it was a wonder that the things on the dresser weren’t in danger of rattling right off. His vision was darkening and he didn’t know if it was a lack of oxygen or maybe Sephiroth digging his nails into his eye sockets from behind his corneas.

A weight settled on his arms, and normally he would have snarled off any intrusion into his space when he was neck deep in a panic attack. He would have run like a wounded animal to finish freaking out in peace, but there was something cool and soothing, like blue ocean waves,  about the weight on his arms. He tilted his body forward and was greeted by more of that gentle comfort. It touched his chest, bloomed across his cheek, snaked across his back as it enveloped him wholly, and he sagged into what he recognized as an embrace. The white noise in his mind quieted to a soft murmur that he was soon able to ignore entirely. Spots danced in his vision as colours and shadows and familiar settings came into view once more. He breathed in, a deep gasping breath, and was overwhelmed by the clean leather smell of Leon.

Cloud lifted his arms and clutched at Leon’s back, grateful beyond words that Leon never pressed or pried or judged - just opened his arms and took all of Cloud, panic attacks included, and held him close. Cloud felt weak, clinging to Leon like the lifeline he was to him. After a moment, Leon guided him back to the bed, where they sat down heavily. Leon gently maneuvered Cloud to lay back in bed and removed his lounge pants, setting them aside and carefully pulling the blankets up. Cloud tried not to think of himself as being tucked in like a child and just enjoyed the fact that Leon was taking care of him, no questions asked. Leon methodically stripped down as well, draping his clothes over the arm of the chair in the room. He crawled over Cloud and into bed beside him, grumbling about how they really needed to move the bed away from the wall. He drew the blankets up to their chins to stave off the chill, and shuffled himself closer to Cloud.

Cloud stared at him, his brows slightly furrowed, and he wished he could find a way to articulate to Leon how desperate he was to keep this just the way it was, that he was petrified of Sephiroth taking this away from him - this bit of happiness that he’d eked out for himself in the healing remains of his world. He didn’t deserve it, but he was selfish enough to tangle it up in his fingers and never let it go.

“I’m going to kill him,” Cloud whispered; it wasn’t nearly enough, but it was all he could manage.

“I know you will,” Leon said, sounding as confident as Cloud wished he felt. He reached for Cloud and he went willingly, tucking his head beneath Leon’s chin. It didn’t take long before Leon’s heartbeat had evened out, and Cloud, emboldened by his lover’s unconsciousness and the great blanket of comfort it gave him to give voice to his words, pressed his lips to Leon’s collarbone.

“I’m going to keep you safe.”

\---

It took nearly two days before Cloud’s arm felt normal again. Leon made him swear that he wouldn’t go off training alone, so he kept good on his promise to spar with Sora. He took the young keyblade master to the Great Maw a few times a week and instructed the boy to not hold back at all. Limits, spells, underhanded tricks, lightning fast reactions - nothing was off the table. That first day, Sora had laughed and rolled his shoulders, summoning his keyblade into his hands. His current keychain was some sort of pointed silver ‘x’, with a white blade and a black guard. Their fights were long and exhausting, and Sora kept his promise by whaling away on him unreservedly. Every once in a while, Sora would heal himself as he leapt away from him, or Cloud would occasionally feel a soft wash of magic over him as Sora flipped over his head. Sometimes Riku would join them, taking his turn against Cloud when Sora claimed to need a break.

Riku’s fighting style was nothing like Sora’s. While Sora relied mostly on physical attacks and speed, Riku worked magic into his keyblade, augmenting his already considerable strength with powerful spells. At one point, he wrapped a fire spell within a reflect spell and launched it at Cloud - the reflect compressed the fire until it was a bolt of near white that Cloud barely managed to dodge in time. Sora’s style of fighting had a certain bounce to it, like he was enjoying every moment of it. Riku’s spoke of fighting for his life.

Cloud understood that.

One day, as he went to meet Sora for their usual spar, Leon jogged up to him, Lionheart swung over one shoulder.

“Sora said Riku would be joining you both today, suggested we make it a two on two fight,” he said, a smirk touching the corners of his mouth. “Feel like showing them how it’s done right?”

For a moment, Cloud hesitated. Both he and Leon had military training. The academy when they were young, and then SeeD and SOLDIER after that. He wasn’t sure if it would be a fair fight, given their experience, but…

“Yeah.”

They made their way through the Bailey and down into the Great Maw, where Sora and Riku were waiting for them. They were sprawled on the ground, Sora’s head in Riku’s lap and his hands gesticulating wildly, telling some story that he seemed very into. Riku, for his part, was smiling down at Sora, one hand braced behind him and the other toying with Sora’s brown hair. Cloud didn’t think that Riku looked like he was paying much attention to what Sora was saying - he simply looked absorbed in Sora as a whole.

“They’re really happy,” Leon murmured quietly, his expression soft. Cloud nodded in agreement.

“I’m glad they’re sticking around,” he said. Leon side-eyed him.

“Are you really, or are you just happy you get to beat up kids on a regular basis under the disguise of sparring?” Cloud simply smirked and approached the young couple, leaving Leon to follow him. Sora bounced to his feet, shameless and eager. Sora summoned his keyblade, the same white and black one he’d been partial to using lately, and Riku twisted to his feet behind him, agile like a cat, and summoned his own keyblade, a dark wing that would have once unsettled Cloud.

“You two better not hold back on us!” Sora called cheerfully, waving his keyblade through the air. Leon smirked, unholstering Lionheart and letting it flare to life. Both men were fully aware that they’d always be holding back at least a little; after all, fighting the Heartless and Nobodies, sparring with their friends - none of it was a life or death situation. Their full battle prowess was never necessary, and Cloud could only think of one situation when it would be. A situation he refused to dwell on, now that the voice in his head had been dulled to a quiet grumble as of late.

Crowing loudly with glee, Sora leapt into the air and dove straight for Cloud, spinning into him like some sort of blue eyed tornado. Cloud met him blow for blow, only distantly acknowledging that Leon had engaged Riku. The younger man fought much like Leon did - deliberately, every move calculated and measured and careful. Cloud couldn’t take the time he wanted to appreciate the way Leon moved in battle, in a controlled environment. He had a feeling that if they could get away with watching them, Sora would be more than content to sit back with him and just admire the view. Sora launched a volley of ice spells at him, though, and that broke his train of distracted thinking and brought him back to the battle.

They carried on with one another, switching partners occasionally, teaming up two against one when Sora declared that he could take them both on ‘just like the old days’, and working themselves to near exhaustion. Cloud and Riku had finished what they’d decided was their last spar of the day, and were sitting back against some rocks, sipping on waters that Sora had brought out earlier. They watched Leon and Sora’s ongoing duel with interest; neither of them seemed to be slowing down, though Leon was sporting a cut to his thigh and Sora had a black eye from a gravity spell that he hadn’t dodged in time. Occasionally, Cloud would point out Leon’s footwork compared to Sora’s, or the way Leon would drop his shoulder and twist at his waist to avoid a blow - things that were taught, not known instinctively.

“That’s part of why I think sparring like this is a good idea,” Riku said. “You and Leon are trained for this. You didn’t just fight because you had to - you _chose_ to, initially. Sora and I have a lot to learn.” Cloud mused over the younger man’s humble words before answering.

“I wouldn’t sell yourselves too short,” he said. “Innate talent plays a big role too. Leon and I will teach you what we can, though. I’ll see if I can find some materia for you to try.” Materia would give them about the same range of spells they usually used, but a different means to execute them, as well as the ability to enhance their weapons, if keyblades could accept it.

Cloud was mulling over what he knew of Sora’s different keychains and which materia would work best with them when he froze suddenly. The air smelled faintly of ozone when it hadn’t before, and he scanned the area, half expecting Sephiroth to hurtle from the sky and clothesline him into the rock face. Beside him, Riku seemed to have sensed it as well, because he tensed up and sat forward, summoning his keyblade into existence and casting shrewd eyes around them.

In the field, Sora had cast an augmented fire spell, the flames circling Leon in wide red arcs. From the outside, Sora darted in, slashing at Leon and flipping back out before the older man could land a blow. Cloud kept his gaze on Leon, feeling the air prickle around him; he could see the air distorting around Leon, but he didn’t know if it was from the heat of Sora’s spell or something else entirely. Leon’s eyes, normally darkened from this distance, nearly glowed silver, and Cloud stood abruptly, because _that_ wasn’t normal. A shadow flickered behind Leon, and if Cloud didn’t know any better, he’d say the shadow looked nearly like a pair of _wings_. Suddenly, Leon crouched down and leapt into the air, clearing the flames around him and executing a backflip before he landed easily. Lionheart glowed blue in his grip, his eyes were _still_ glowing silver, and then he let a four count Renzokuken fly from his blade. He reigned it in when Sora fell back on his rear before rolling away, keyblade at the ready again. He started to charge when Leon held up a hand to stop him.

“Draw?” he said, his voice rough and gravelly. Cloud wanted to assume that it was simply from panting hard during the fight, but a small part of his mind told him that wasn’t quite it. Sora skidded to a halt, grinning.

“Sure!” He dispelled his keyblade and stretched easily, then gave himself a full body shake not unlike a dog. “That was a _really_ good fight.”

Riku was already making his way to Sora, and when he was close enough, he cast a Cure spell on him, and then on Leon as well. Leon nodded his thanks to the younger man, slinging Lionheart over his shoulder and, aside from his disheveled hair and the layer of sweat on his face and arms, didn’t look any worse for wear. Cloud approached them, his curious gaze glued to Leon, who was either doing a truly spectacular job of looking like he had no idea what happened, or really didn’t know what happened. Cloud thought it was the former, but wasn’t entirely sure if it was something that was problematic.

“You okay?” he asked anyway, quietly so that only Leon could hear him as he approached. Leon furrowed his brow a bit.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I’m not _that_ old,” he groused, clipping his gunblade to his back. “Pissed about my pants, though.” The cure spell Riku had cast had healed the cut on his thigh, but not much could be done about the torn leather.

“I’ll buy you a new pair!” Sora said, bounding up to them. “That was a great fight guys! Leon, you’ll have to teach me how to stay on my feet like you do, I get knocked down _so_ much!” The young keyblade wielder continued to prattle on about areas he thought he could improve with their help. Cloud secretly thought that if Sora got any better, he might be a true match for them sooner than they thought.

They made their way back into town with plans to meet up later for their usual Friday evenings at the bar with everyone else. Leon and Cloud made their way back home, walking side by side, their elbows brushing. Affection seemed lighter, easier almost, now that they were aware that Aerith knew. Because if Aerith knew, then so did everyone else, and they were simply all too polite to say anything. Or scared. Cloud could work with either.

Seifer wasn’t home, which meant he was probably already at the bar, flirting with Aerith and eating the first dozen of his usual three orders of buffalo wings. Leon locked the front door behind him and reached for Cloud’s hand, spinning him back into his arms and kissing him. Cloud grinned against Leon’s lips, grasping at his neck and kissing him back feverishly. Leon’s hands went to his narrow waist, backing him up until they stumbled into the kitchen, pressing him against the island counter in the center. Cloud kicked a tall stool out of the way so that he could lean against the counter properly, spreading his legs so Leon could step between them and crowd in close, lips connecting again briefly before ghosting down his neck. Cloud felt dizzy, partly from how quickly his blood was rushing south and partly from how little it took for Leon to completely overwhelm him. He pushed the jacket from Leon’s shoulders and tugged on his white shirt until it came untucked from his pants. Leon pulled back just enough to strip the shirt from his body, letting it fall to the floor. Cloud reached out immediately and pulled Leon toward him, running his fingers over the chiseled definition of his abdomen, flirting up his chest and shoulders. Leon sighed against Cloud’s mouth, digging his fingers under Cloud’s vest to get at the soft skin there.

“Lube,” Cloud murmured, pressing his fingers into Leon’s shoulders in anticipation. Leon pulled away with a smirk and a quick fondle of Cloud’s erection, moving into the living room to paw through a drawer in an end table that he knew probably held a bottle of their expansive stash of lube. Cloud took it upon himself to divest himself of his clothes, tugging off boots and socks, unzipping his sweater and discarding it, working at the buckles on his pants and shoving them down so he could step out of them. Leon came around the corner, the numerous belts he wore already unbuckled and his cock pressing hard against the fabric of his boxer briefs, visible with his fly undone. He paused when he saw Cloud in their kitchen, naked as a jaybird, smirking lewdly and stroking himself, perched bare-assed on the counter.

Leon strode up to him, his expression clouded over with lust, one hand reaching out to grip his waist and the other dropping the bottle of lube to the counter and pressing against the back of Cloud’s neck, drawing him in for a fierce kiss. Cloud moaned against his lips, his cock throbbing insistently between them, begging for attention.

“Cloud,” Leon murmured, breathless. He ground their hips together, and Cloud hissed into the kiss. “You’re beautiful.”

Cloud froze, his eyes flying open and growing impossibly wide. His fingers paused their dance across Leon’s shoulders and his mind went blissfully blank for the first time in over a month. The silky slick murmurings that he’d gotten used to vanished entirely in that singular moment, his mind settling down as if all tension had drained from it. He could feel Leon’s fingers kneading against the back of his neck even has he pulled back from the kiss. Leon, for his part, didn’t look surprised or even amused. A small, gentle smile stretched across his lips, and his gaze had gone buttery soft again. Cloud smiled at him; not a grin, not a smirk, but a wide, brilliant smile that could have cracked a star in two. Leon’s own smile widened, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“So beautiful,” he whispered. It was all Cloud’s heart could do to not seize up and stop working, so he leaned forward and kissed Leon for all he was worth before congestive heart failure stopped this short. His hands skimmed up to tangle in dark brown hair and he slid his tongue against Leon’s, deepening the kiss and groaning into it. He wrapped his legs around Leon’s hips and dragged him close, not caring that Leon’s zipper was biting into him. He felt overwhelmed and lightheaded again, calm and quiet and happy and probably, what was that word he’d heard Sora use? Twitterpated? Well, whatever. He fought to keep his vocal cords under control lest he confess his undying love for the other man while he was having his cock fondled. He wanted to tell him, you know, eventually. Just maybe over a quiet evening, carry out Wutanese spread between them on the couch. Or while they were relaxing in bed. Or the next time Leon pet a fucking dog.

Leon wrapped his hand around Cloud’s cock, effectively derailing any further thoughts about confessions. Cloud moaned, bucking forward, burying his head into Leon’s neck and panting against the sweat-salted skin there. Leon tilted his head against Cloud’s in a sort of nuzzle, both of his hands working to uncap the lube and slick a few of his fingers. Cloud canted his hips up as Leon’s fingers trailed down to his entrance; they didn’t have a whole lot of time before they were due at the bar, and they still needed showers.

Two fingers breached him, and he was well used to the intrusion by now, shifting his hips from side to side to work them in further, gasping as his eyes rolled back. He thought he could live every moment of the rest of his life stuffed with Leon’s fingers and cock, and he didn’t particularly care if that made him seem like a tramp or not. The warm, comfortable feeling of fullness, of knowing that it was _Leon_ who filled him, drove his cares out the door. This is where he wanted to be. Speared by fingers, prepared for a cock, hot and flushed and throbbing for this gorgeous, glorious man.

“Fuck me,” he groaned, his voice soft and anticipatory. Leon hummed in response, craning his head down to nip at Cloud’s neck. He shoved his pants down just far enough to expose his cock, slicking his engorged, purpled cock with the remainder of the lube on his hand. Leon groaned, and Cloud briefly thought that, one day, he’d like to watch Leon bring his own self to orgasm while Cloud whispered filth in his ear. Not today, though. No, today he dragged Leon closer with his legs still locked around his waist. Leon guided his cock to Cloud’s entrance, and when Leon pressed into him, Cloud saw sparks. White lightning flashed across his vision and distantly, he heard himself crying out, loud and fractured. Leon tugged on his waist until his ass was hanging off the counter, but the angle still wasn’t enough for him to fuck him properly. Growling, Leon pulled him off the counter and bore his weight like he hadn’t just spent the afternoon in a grueling mock battle, letting gravity work him further onto Leon’s cock. As Leon carried him into the living room, making his way toward the couch, Cloud rolled his hips, desperately seeking friction of some kind. He keened impatiently, hissing as Leon set him down on the couch, withdrawing from his body. Leon leaned back over him, hitching his legs up and positioning himself to be able to thrust back inside smoothly.

Cloud sighed, feeling whole again, and rocked his hips back down onto Leon’s cock, hands moving to tangle in his long hair. Leon pistoned his hips, bracing his hands on the armrest above Cloud’s head for leverage. Cloud threw his head back, moaning long and low as Leon filled him over and over. He lifted his hips, allowing Leon to thrust in deeper, at a better angle, and when his cock shoved into his prostate, Cloud cursed loudly, fingers tightening in Leon’s hair. Nearly a year of practice drove Leon to batter his prostate relentlessly, and Cloud whined, his back arching and his nails digging into Leon’s scalp.

“Touch yourself,” Leon said, his voice rough and his breathing harsh. Cloud reached down and took his cock in hand immediately, his eyes flying open as his fist closed around his soaked head. He began to stroke himself in time with Leon’s thrusts, keeping one hand tangled in Leon’s hair and using that grip to tug him down into a kiss. It was sloppy, lips dry from panting harshly, teeth clicking together every time Leon moved, but it was perfect. It was what Cloud needed to tip over the precipice.

He fell, his hips thrusting up involuntarily and his back hunching as he came in thick bursts of white across his own hand and chest. His cock pulsed and his stomach fluttered as waves of pleasure drowned him; the blood rushing in his own ears was enough to deaden the sound of his own hoarse cry. Leon fucked him through it, driving into his prostate firmly enough to make him whimper under the assault. He blinked up at Leon dazedly, nearly cross-eyed, and thought he saw, for the briefest of seconds, a flash of silver in those blue eyes before Leon groaned loudly, his thrusts becoming shallow as he spent himself within Cloud.

When Leon stopped twitching, he sat back, withdrawing from Cloud’s body to fall back to the other end of the couch. Cloud spread his legs languidly and draped them across Leon, grinning over at him. Leon rested a hand on Cloud’s calf, scratching lightly at the pale blond, nearly invisible hairs there, then smoothed his palm up to his knee. Cloud felt his chest tighten and he knew he couldn’t keep the soft, fond look from his face if he’d been paid to.

“C’mere,” Leon murmured, his expression just as at ease as Cloud’s. Cloud shifted, tucking his legs under him to lean over Leon, hovering above him as the brunet reached up and threaded his fingers into Cloud’s hair, pulling their mouths together and kissing him with a tenderness that made Cloud sigh into it. He felt his chest swell with affection, love that he couldn’t yet voice rushing over him and soothing him the way the ocean soothes the heat from lava. Cool blue waves falling over him, removing everything but the core of his sentiment, leaving that intact and warm at the center. Leon slid his tongue into Cloud’s mouth, keeping the kiss soft and deep. Cloud hummed, content.

“You know,” he murmured against Leon’s mouth, “if you keep kissing me like that, we’ll be late for dinner.”

“Oh no,” Leon deadpanned. “What a tragedy.” He leaned back up and captured Cloud’s lips again. Cloud smirked into the kiss, returning it for a moment and then pulling away, with great effort.

“Aerith will send Yuffie after us,” Cloud said. Leon groaned.

“Fine,” he sighed. Cloud stood, and it was a testament to how whipped he really was that he didn’t find the semen beginning to slip down his leg disgusting. “I’m going to sit here for another minute. Unlike you, I actually used up energy today.” Cloud scoffed, making his way toward the stairs.

“You can just admit you’re getting old, Leonhart,” he teased. Leon grunted from his spot on the couch, his head leaning back over the armrest. Cloud snuck one last glance at him, and wondered if Leon’s supposed exhaustion had anything to do with that silver eye trick earlier.

He wasted no time in the shower, methodically scrubbing the sweat and grime and come from his body. He took a few extra moments to enjoy the heat of the shower before cutting the water and toweling off. When he stepped into their bedroom, Leon still wasn’t there. Towel wrapped around his waist, he leaned over the railing in the hallway.

“I’m leaving here in ten minutes, and when I have to tell Tifa and Aerith why you’re not with me-”

“Yeah, okay, okay,” he heard him grumble. Moments later, as Cloud was pulling a shirt over his head, Leon finally appeared, carrying their clothes from earlier and dumping them into the hamper on his way into the bathroom. Shaking his head, Cloud finished dressing, tucking his wallet into his back pocket and readjusting the laces on his boots. On the dresser, his phone vibrated twice. He picked it up and flicked through the message, frowning at the screen.

He wandered into the bathroom, opening the shower door to speak to Leon. “Tifa said no one’s there, but she’s having trouble with a drunk. I’m going to head over and throw him out.” Leon pushed his hair back and carded his hand down his face, clearing the water from his eyes. Cloud leaned in and kissed him, resisting the urge to just say fuck it and climb in there with him.

“Have fun beating up the inebriated,” Leon said with a smirk.

“I always do,” Cloud said, winking once before shutting the shower door.

On his way out of the house, he paused, eyeing his buster sword. The voice in his mind had been quiet, ever since the day he’d come back with a shattered arm. Things had been blissfully silent, and that both unnerved and irritated him. He couldn’t even enjoy the silence, because it was suspicious, like having an ornery cat. Except that cat had a penchant for stabbing things and destroying the world.

He grabbed his sword on the way out.

The late autumn sun was only just beginning its descent, but he knew it wouldn’t be long until night took over and things really started up at the bar. Friday nights were everyone’s favourites. Very few outside of their group spent much time at the bar by the time everyone he knew rolled in, not after Reno and Aerith quietly cleaned everyone out of their money during poker. The general populace of the town didn’t know better than to play against them; Reno was loud and brash and Aerith was a literal angel, and neither looked like they were card sharks out for all of your money.

The general populace was wrong. So, so wrong.

There were a few who stuck around, but they knew better than to play cards with any of Tifa’s crew. They just couldn’t afford it.

Rude helped Tifa bartend most nights, as they’d grown closer, but she typically shooed him off to enjoy the company of his friends on a Friday night. Sometimes Yuffie would jump behind the bar to play bartender, and Tifa would get in on an arm wrestling match or two. These always drew a crowd, and watching Rude’s sunglasses turn into hearts when she slammed someone’s knuckles into a table was always entertaining.

Drinks flowed and food was passed around, usually something Aerith or Cid had made, and Cloud had come to eagerly anticipate Friday nights. The town was safe, the worlds were safe, and his friends were safe.

He walked down the streets, the buzz of the day slowly drifting off as people filed into restaurants or into their own houses. It was cool and clear, with temperatures threatening to drop further during the night. He was looking forward to the evening, to a few drinks and hopefully some fresh bread along with dinner. He was nearly to the bar, only just a few houses past Sora’s, when he froze suddenly, his breath seizing in his throat.

“Cloud.”

He spun so fast he thought momentum would continue to carry him in circles. He drew his sword, bringing it up in front of him, dropping low into a defensive stance. Standing in the middle of the street, absurdly long sword sheathed at his waist, silver hair streaming down his back, was Sephiroth. Cloud’s chest clenched and his lip curled in a snarl, flexing his fingers around the worn leather grip of his sword. Sephiroth glanced up, his cat-green eyes flicking across the houses that held families, friends, _innocent people_. Cloud knew that with a twitch of his little finger, Sephiroth could set the entire block on fire, torching the houses and everyone within. Sephiroth swiveled his head back down to look at Cloud, his expression blank.

“I like what you’ve done with the place, Cloud,” he said, his tone very carefully light. Cloud tensed; he knew it for the threat that it was, and it made his anxiety spike. “Or maybe it’s what _Leon_ has done…” Cloud’s stomach bottomed out and his blood froze.

“What do you want?” Cloud hissed, gritting his teeth. Sephiroth tilted his head to the side, regarding Cloud with a cold, calculating gaze. He lifted his hand and held it out in an invitation.

“Acknowledgement, Cloud. Embrace the darkness within you, embrace _me_ ,” he murmured softly, his voice like an oil slick. Cloud fought to keep his face from crumbling. When Sephiroth spoke in those tones, Cloud could almost hear the General he’d aspired to be like. He could almost hear Sephiroth’s smooth, silky voice sending a good natured barb at Zack. For a brief moment, he could hear his hero once more. Then he looked into those slitted green eyes and the moment, for all that it never existed, fell apart as he saw the madness there.

The Sephiroth Cloud had known had died long ago, leaving only anguished insanity crawling from his grave.

“Never,” Cloud snarled. Sephiroth narrowed his gaze.

“One shadow cannot banish another, Cloud,” he chastised. “You are darkness, just as I am.” He paused, and his black wing unfurled, sweeping across the road to brush against the streetlight on the curb. It glinted blue-black and slick looking in the evening sun. He smirked and somehow managed to seem more irritated than amused in the process. “Unless you think he’s your _light_ .” His tone was mocking and scathing, and Cloud’s stomach roiled. Sephiroth’s smirk widened into something colder and sharper. “Come now, Cloud. You _know_ nothing in your life has any power over me. I _am_ you.”

“No!” Cloud shouted, furious and terrified, hoping that his anger would be enough to conceal the fear he felt.

“Then maybe I should be fighting him,” Sephiroth said sharply, his voice escalating in anger. “What do you say, Cloud? Your true nature versus the guttering little candle you’re clinging to.”

“Don’t you dare,” Cloud hissed, ice running through his veins at the thought of Leon facing Sephiroth. This is what he’d been training for, for weeks now. To keep Leon _safe_ , to keep this encroaching darkness away from him. “He’s got nothing to do with this. You fight me or you leave with _nothing_.”

Sephiroth blinked at him, then tossed his head back and laughed, and the sound was enough to drive a chill down Cloud’s spine. That inky black wing flexed, barely a twitch, and Sephiroth rose from the ground to hover in the air.

“Have it your way,” he said smoothly. His wing came down once, gusting air across the street, and then he was gone, shooting into the sky and away from Cloud. Cursing, Cloud took off down the street at a sprint, all thoughts of a peaceful, fun evening dashed to hell and back. His thoughts were wholly singular as he dashed back past Sora and Riku’s house, arm shooting out to swing him around a lamp post as he cut a corner hard. He heard a peal of laughter from a backyard somewhere, and as he flew past his own house and saw the front porch light on, welcoming and inviting, all he knew was that he had to protect. Keep the whole town safe, because Sephiroth could raze several blocks to the ground without any effort at all. Keep Sora and Riku safe, because they were just fucking _kids_ and they were finally getting around to living their lives. Keep Reno and Yuffie safe because they’d finally found some happiness with one another and he couldn’t get enough of the way the little ninja smiled these days. Keep _Leon_ safe because he was so deeply in love with the man that he didn’t think he’d be able to function if anything happened to him.

He tore through the Bailey, vaulting over the stairs and landing in a roll that he used to launch himself forward again, flying through the Great Maw and ignoring the startled movements of a few lurking Heartless. He knew Sephiroth would be in the Dark Depths, in the same place he’d faced off against Sora years ago. The craggy entrance to it at the end of the Crystal Fissure loomed ahead, and Cloud skidded to a halt, pausing to catch his breath.

He checked his sword, and noted with some dissatisfaction that he only had his Bolt materia slotted into it. Cure would have been useful, maybe a summon or two. Maybe a ‘Destroy Sephiroth’ materia - the universe owed him a handful of those, he figured. He held the old Buster Sword in front of him, closing his eyes and silently pleading for Zack to guide him.

He stepped out into the cool evening air. The setting sun bathed the large, rocky plateau in orange and pink, and Sephiroth stood at the edge, looking down into the Great Maw and sweeping his gaze up to the mostly-restored castle. His back was to Cloud, his wing brushing his silver hair off to one side.

“Look at the castle, Cloud,” Sephiroth said, his voice quiet but still managing to carry back to Cloud. “Years ago, I’m sure people thought it some magnificent edifice, didn’t they? Something tall and proud and infallible. It stood for,” he paused, tilting his head to the side again, choosing his words carefully, “strength and knowledge, if what I know of Ansem the Wise is correct.” He turned to face Cloud, his expression stony and cold. “And yet, I could wipe the entire building from the face of this world with barely more than a thought. In the end, it is nothing, just like everyone who lives here.” Cloud bristled, furious and terrified. He held his sword higher, leveling the man before him with a glare.

“But you, Cloud. You keep fighting. Time and again, you fight me instead of giving up and accepting your fate. It would be admirable,” Sephiroth mused, “if I weren’t going to destroy you.” Cloud grimaced, gritting his teeth and dropping into a defensive position.

“You can try,” he ground out. Sephiroth smiled, cold and mirthless, and leapt at Cloud, drawing his sword as he went. Cloud jumped to meet him, the Buster Sword meeting Masamune in an age-old duel. Sephiroth swung at him and he dodged, but only just barely. Something in him had changed, Cloud noted. He was faster and seemed to react so quickly that Cloud thought he was anticipating every move he made. Sephiroth swept his blade at Cloud, and the impact sent him into a backflip. Cloud rolled to his feet and ran up the side of the rock face, vaulting himself backward and launching a modified Blade Beam at him. Lightning from his materia arced through the energy of his limit, buffeting Sephiroth and sending black feathers flying.

Sephiroth shook off the blow and leapt into the air, raising one hand and casting a spell. Dark clouds began to gather and a wind picked up, swirling around their fighting grounds in a cyclone of ozone and static. Lightning strikes flashed around them, illuminating the now dark area. Cloud pushed off the cliffs, flying toward Sephiroth as he gathered a Firaga spell, sending it forward at him and following through the cinders, Buster Sword coming down across Sephiroth’s front. Sephiroth flipped backwards, landing on the ground again.

“You’d fight this hard to protect him?” he asked. He was speaking of Leon. Cloud snarled, simultaneously angry that he didn’t have the decency to use his name and thinking that he’d be enraged to hear his name pass through the lips of that madman. “You think he’s your _light_ ,” the General sneered, “but that would imply that you deserve any sort of light in the first place.” He dove at Cloud, his sword a flurry of blows and silver streaks that resonated sharply every time Cloud brought his own sword up to block them.

“You are darkness, Cloud, and I am here as proof of that.”

Sephiroth lifted his hand again, clenching his fist as several small, fiery meteors fell from the storm clouds swirling above them. Cloud dodged as many as he could, but one clipped his leg mid-jump and sent him spiralling into the cliffside. The wind was knocked from his lungs by the impact, which left him unable to so much as gasp for air when Sephiroth rose before him and thrust the tip of his sword into the meat of Cloud’s shoulder, pinning him like a doll to the rock. Cloud couldn’t bite back his shout of pain - there was something about Masamune that made every slice, cut, and stab so much more agonizing than if it had been made with a normal weapon. He gripped at the sword, grateful that his gloves were magically altered to withstand blades, grateful that he’d had the foresight to even wear them while walking to the bar for what should have been a relaxing evening with his friends. Sephiroth dug the sword in further, pressing it into the rock face behind Cloud’s bloodied body.

“Embrace what you are, Cloud. Leave your foolish, feeble _light_ behind,” he said softly, spitefully, “and join me in eternal night.” He raised his hand, fingers curling around a red light that began to glow in his palm, the orb growing larger as Cloud swallowed around his fear and failure. He tried to yank at the blade, but with no leverage, his grip just slid uselessly along the metal.

“I’m pretty sure he’s told you to fuck off more than once,” a voice called, ringing out angry and clear in the evening air. Cloud whipped his head around and noticed that Sephiroth did the same. Leon stood at the mouth of the tunnel that dumped out onto the plateau, Lionheart in one hand and murder written all over his face. It might have been arousing, had that expression been directed at drunk assholes at the bar, instead of at the maniac who’d incinerate him with the twitch of an eyelash.

“Little lion boy, what a pleasant surprise,” Sephiroth mused, his soft voice at odds with the fury on his face.

“Is it really a surprise?” Leon snapped. “You dropped from the sky in front of our friend’s houses like some kind of melodramatic bird. People notice these things.” Only the thousands of ways Sephiroth could torture and kill Leon kept Cloud from laughing aloud. Sephiroth went unnervingly still, tilting his head to the side in a mockery of curiosity. He let the red light in his hand die, and instead drew a spear of rock from the cliff face. This he shoved into Cloud’s previously spared shoulder and drove it into the rock behind him. Cloud shouted in pain, choking on air as Sephiroth ripped Masamune from his shoulder, whipping the blade to his side and flinging blood at Leon’s feet.

Sephiroth left Cloud pinned to the cliffside, gliding down to hover above Leon. “Your tongue is awfully sharp for a man who is about to be rent limb from limb.” Leon hefted Lionheart into the air, and it glowed blue, its length extending by nearly three feet.

“Funny,” he said, and nothing in his tone indicated that he found humour in anything, “I was just thinking the same thing about you.” Then, he fired a bullet from his gunblade and lunged at Sephiroth with blinding speed.

Sephiroth knocked the bullet away but Leon was already in his space, slashing Lionheart up his chest and sending blood flying into silver hair. Even from his position as a living figurehead, Cloud could see the surprise on Sephiroth’s face and tucked that expression away so that it could bring him joy later in life, if he lived past this evening. Sephiroth backflipped away, sending a pulse of energy from his sword flying at Leon.

“You know, I wanted to fight you. Cloud told me no,” Sephiroth said, lazily casting a fireball at Leon. “To protect you, I’m sure. As if the type of darkness that makes up everything that he is could protect anyone at all.” Leon didn’t respond, his lips pressed tightly together as he gathered energy in his sword and charged at Sephiroth, his blade streaking through the air in a flurry of blows. Sephiroth met each with a clash of his own blade before lifting his right hand and bringing down several lightning strikes that blasted small craters in the ground where they struck. Sephiroth was dodging one of his own bolts when Leon clenched a fist and cast a vicious looking Gravija, slamming the General into the ground and sending rocks and black feathers flying.

He rose a moment later, green eyes furious.

“Do you really wish to do this, little light?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “Are you prepared to force Cloud to witness your destruction?”

Cloud recognized the barely leashed fury on Sephiroth’s face and he felt his stomach clench into a knot. The General had barely been trying before, but now he was irritated, maybe even angry, if Sephiroth could feel an emotion as deep as anger. Or, maybe more accurately, if he could understand the feeling at all instead of just experiencing it and letting it ignite his blood. Cloud watched as Sephiroth clenched the hilt of his sword in his left hand, the force of the grip lifting the blade. Cloud planted his feet on the cliff and tugged fruitlessly at the spear of rock that held him in place.

“Leon, go! Leave, he’ll kill you!” he shouted, his voice desperate. “I lo-”

“Cloud, if you finish that sentence while you’re decorating a cliff, I will end you myself,” Leon snapped, whipping his head back to glare at him. Cloud stared at him, eyes wide with bewilderment. He nearly laughed but for the severity of the situation. A different laughter broke the stare down between the two lovers. Sephiroth had tossed his head back, cackling madly.

“It’s a shame I have to destroy you; you’re more dragon than lion, with all that spitfire and brimstone,” he mused, tilting his head and smiling at Leon. “I see why Cloud thinks he’s found his light in you.” Sephiroth flickered out of sight, and Leon stared hard at the spot where he’d been, only to stagger backward a step when Sephiroth appeared immediately in front of him. That oily black wing curled around Leon, preventing him from stepping back any further. “You really are so very, very bright.”

“No!” Cloud shouted, struggling. He saw the stricken, horrified look on Leon’s face as those feathers brushed across the backs of his arms, the side of his neck. It was bizarrely intimate, and watching Sephiroth bring his hand up to cup Leon’s chin sent Cloud into a frenzy. He shouted, clawing uselessly at the rocky spear. He felt it shift, and then a spark of pain shot down his spine. It wasn’t the severed pain of a physical injury, but the sharp, angry bite of magic. Sephiroth must have imbued the spear with some sort of spell that prevented it from being removed. Cloud thrashed, blood burbling from his wound and soaking his chest further. He tried to cast a spell, but it trembled within him, feeling like he’d swallowed vomit, refusing to obey his command. He swore, struggling, his gaze angry and frustrated and helpless as he watched his lover stand in the thick shadow of the man he’d once admired more than anyone.

Sephiroth’s wing curled in tighter, and Leon was forced to step closer, unable to even lift his gunblade. Cloud couldn’t even see the top of Leon’s head anymore, and then red light flashed from between those inky feathers and the wing unfurled to shoot Leon’s body clear across the plateau, his gunblade sticking in the ground uncomfortably near to his head. Cloud screamed, not caring that he probably sounded pathetic and weak and utterly broken. Sephiroth stared hard at Leon’s prone form, and the longer he remained unmoving, the wider his smirk grew. Cloud was still screaming, clawing frantically at the spear, kicking his legs uselessly. Pain lanced down his spine, the magic protesting his protesting, but he didn’t care.

“Sephiroth!” he shouted, his lips curled back from his teeth in a feral snarl. The man in question glanced up at Cloud as if he were an afterthought, as if he’d forgotten that he was even there.

“Are you ready to accept your true nature, Cloud? Are you ready to accept me?” he asked, his voice once again soft and lilting.

“Why don’t you call off your magic and find out!” Cloud snarled. Sephiroth smirked again, twitching his right hand and dispelling the magic imbued in the rock spear. Cloud yanked it out, biting back a hiss of pain as it left the cliff behind him and sent him tumbling to the ground. He sat on his knees, yanking the thing out with a sickening squelch. He cast Cure on himself, felt the blood stop its insistent journey to the outside world. His pulse was pounding in his ears and his chest was tight in a way that had nothing to do with the gaping wound so close to his heart. He refused to look at the crumpled heap that was the love of his fucking life, lying motionless and battered on the other side of the plateau. He grasped at the handle of his sword, hauling himself to his feet and holding it aloft in front of him, aimed at Sephiroth, who was staring at him, his face a countenance of mocking pity.

“Your light lies dead and yet you still fight? Do you really believe _you_ are worth fighting for?” Sephiroth asked. “Do you even want to fight for you, or are-”

“Shut your mouth,” Cloud snapped, cutting him off, his own voice surprising him for how calm it was. Sephiroth narrowed his cat-green eyes and then launched himself immediately at Cloud. He barely managed to block in time, the blow sending him staggering back several feet. Another series of quick slashes from Sephiroth’s sword had him backed up against the cliff, his energy trickling out with his blood from the still open wound. Sephiroth lifted his sword in both hands, crouching, preparing to run at Cloud and gut him like a fish, when a bolt of lightning streaked horizontally just above their heads. The scent of ozone hung thick and tacky in the air and the wind had stopped, though the swirling black clouds still churned overhead. It was unnaturally still and quiet on the plateau up until a rush of wind gusted past them, rushing to the edge and swirling in an angry grey cyclone of debris and electricity.

Cloud recognized the smell of ozone; he’d smelled it earlier in the day, during Leon’s spar with Sora. He whipped his head around and found Leon standing in the same spot he’d been previously lying in, the wind catching in his long brown hair and blowing it back from his face. Flickering behind him, on his head, his arms… Cloud couldn’t help but gape at him. Sephiroth was staring, too, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Feathery white wings, ridged and boned with a deep violet and red, flickered behind him, spreading and flexing, more solid than not. From his temples and forehead, wickedly sharp red horns faded in and out, and on the sides of his arms, two more vicious red blade-like spines protruded. His eyes were two points of bright silver light glowing in his skull, and his face was set into a glare so frigid that even Cloud felt a shiver go down his spine. He gripped his gunblade in one hand, and Lionheart glowed so vibrantly blue that Cloud couldn’t look at it directly.

“Let him go,” Leon spoke, and Cloud’s eyes widened impossibly further. Leon’s voice was nearly entirely overshadowed by a deep, rumbling growl of a voice, one that thundered across the plateau without needing to be shouted. Sephiroth turned to face Leon now, equal parts curious and enraged.

“Cloud didn’t mention that you happened to be an abomination,” Sephiroth mused, his voice laced with tightly controlled anger. “What are you playing host to?” With a calm that was completely at odds with the rage on his face, Leon shrugged, his wings flashing behind him.

“A friend,” he said, his two voices ringing out at once. Cloud sucked in a breath, realizing then who, or what, Leon meant. Griever. He’d heard the story from Aerith and Tifa, tried very hard to recall the details they’d given of that battle. How Griever had been pulled and created from Leon’s mind, embodying the perfect Guardian Force, powerful beyond reason, noble and true. He’d defeated it, but had apparently neglected to tell them that Griever now dwelled within him. Was this what Leon meant when he’d told him that he often struggled for control of his own self? That he was always fighting Griever down, keeping him leashed and silent? He could feel himself frowning, could feel the keen pinprick of Sephiroth’s gaze on him. He met those cat-green eyes defiantly, his lip automatically curling into a sneer.

“I see you were unaware as well, Cloud,” Sephiroth observed, amused. Cloud fused his lips together, annoyed with that Sephiroth could still read him so well. “Indulge me a moment - how does it feel to know that your beloved _light_ kept such a thing from you?” Sephiroth arched a brow at him, a cruel smirk twisting on his handsome, cold face. “That he saw such darkness in you and-”

And suddenly Sephiroth was no longer standing in front of him, spouting his venomous nonsense. In a blur of motion that even Cloud could barely see, Leon had spread his wings and streaked across the plateau, driving into Sephiroth’s side with his shoulder and clotheslining him into a boulder. The rock flew apart, thousands of pieces flying through dust as the force of Leon’s impact drove them both into the cliffside. Cloud staggered back, clutching at the gaping wound in his shoulder. The dust cloud hadn’t yet settled when Leon rose from it, flickering wings holding him aloft. He glanced over to Cloud.

“Weren’t you the one telling me to never listen to a thing that maniac has to say?” he asked, one corner of his mouth lifting in a smile. Cloud stared at him, eyes wide, unable to answer. He was… Griever? Leon was Griever, or was Griever Leon? Did he feel betrayed for Leon having kept this from him, or just grateful that a powerful winged beast (not to be confused with his own evil, powerful winged beast) lived in his boyfriend’s head? Bewilderment was winning, since he really had no idea what else to think. Also, he was in a significant amount of pain thanks to the bloody hole in his shoulder, so any higher functions of his brain were slightly derailed. Before he could figure out how to stop gaping like a fool, the dust cloud suddenly rushed downward to creep along the ground like it had been chastised for being so boisterous. Sephiroth stood, the air around him eerily still, not a hair out of place. But there - Cloud’s sharp eyes saw a tear in his slick black coat, and the fury in the General’s face was no longer controlled or masked.

Leon shot backwards, reclaiming his gunblade and bringing it up to guard just as Sephiroth met him with a force that sent a shockwave across the plateau. They exchanged blows, their blades sending sparks flying. Masamune was a beautiful weapon, powerful and sharper than a razor, but the blue glow around Leon’s gunblade was now edged in purple, and Masamune began to fail to make contact. Sephiroth shot fire from his palm, but Leon dodged it easily, his gleaming wings flashing behind him, still so immaterial, curling in and allowing him to dive out of the way. Leon fired three quick shots at Sephiroth; the bullets missed him, but the fire launched from the blade did not.

Leon rushed him, flying through the fire and smoke, his blade slashing against Sephiroth in quick succession, up and down and side to side, catching on Sephiroth’s chest and sending him hurtling toward the ground, surprise carved into his face. Leon held his blade before him and it was now impossible for Cloud to look directly at it, glowing so blue it was white, the violet that limned it vanishing as white fire burned it away. Wind swept around him in a whirlwind, dragging his long brown hair out of his face. Orange sparks of energy arced up around him, and then Leon was simply _gone_ from that central point of power, blinked out of existence either by speed of movement or Griever’s own power. Cloud didn’t know which it was, didn’t care, because suddenly Leon was pummeling into Sephiroth in a flurry of vicious strikes with his gunblade, leaving great, sweeping arcs of blue energy in its wake. A dozen or more hits landed with blinding speed, and the wings and horns adorning Leon flickered to near nothing, his feet touching the ground and advancing on the General more and more with each strike.

Leon held Lionheart aloft, and white energy coalesced around the blade, and then it was impossible to see Leon or Sephiroth. Cloud shielded his eyes with a hiss, loathe to let them leave his line of sight for even a moment. There was the sound of nothing, and then a flash of light lit the plateau and it penetrated Cloud’s clenched eyes, receding in an instant and drawing his gaze once again.

Sephiroth stood at the edge plateau, one hand on his shoulder and the other holding his sword loosely. He looked _haggard_ , Cloud noted with hysterical satisfaction. And Leon stood before him, wings and horns and weird arm spines gone, Lionheart no longer aglow, not a single hair out of place. His back was to Cloud, but his posture was confident and sure, like he was daring the monster before him to pick his blade up and give it another go. Cloud fought the premature smirk on his face as he pictured the look Leon wore.

Sephiroth smirked, closing his eyes and rolling his shoulders out. His wing stretched out and curled around himself, and he took a step back. Cloud’s enhanced hearing caught his words, despite them being barely more than a whisper.

“More forest fire than candle, it seems.” Cloud furrowed his brow at the tone. He seemed - satisfied? Pleased? Cloud wanted to rush him and demand an explanation, because unanswered questions that involved Sephiroth always came back to bite him in the ass, but the General curled his wing around himself and pitched himself backward over the edge of the plateau. Tendrils of black smoke rose a moment later, and Cloud felt a great silence in his mind, like a door closing. It didn’t lock, maybe never would, but it shut so firmly that he breathed audibly in relief. He slumped back against the cliffside, sliding down until he sat roughly upon the broken ground. He clutched his shoulder, attempted another weak pulse of healing magic and felt the pain abate somewhat.

He watched Leon stride over to him, saw that with every step he took, the anger and conviction crumbled away like pieces of a cracked ceramic mask, replaced with near panic and concern. The closer Leon drew to him, the more Cloud could see that he was shaking, his hand losing its ability to grip his gunblade and dropping it before he all but wobbled over to Cloud and collapsed onto his knees before him. His face was tight and stressed, a line between his furrowed brows. He reached out, and Cloud surged forward.

He was bloodying Leon, as his wound still hadn’t quite stopped oozing, but he didn’t care, and from the way Leon was gripping him back, he probably didn’t care either. Cloud felt Leon bury his face into his hair, arms shaking and being careful to not apply too much pressure to Cloud’s chest. Cloud sank into him, his eyes falling shut and the muscles in his face falling so slack he was sure he’d start drooling at any moment. He dug his fingers into Leon’s back and he was aware of noise coming out of his throat, but he didn’t think it was distinct enough to be words. They remained wrapped around each other for several minutes before Leon pulled back just enough to cast a Cure spell on him. Relief flooded him, the insistent burn in his chest dulling considerably. Cloud reached out and grasped Leon’s trembling hands - they were frigid, and Cloud didn’t know if it was from the rapidly dropping temperature that he was just now noticing or a result of… whatever the hell it was Leon had pulled off.

“That was so stupid,” Cloud huffed. Leon frowned, but didn’t try to move away.

“And sprinting off without telling anyone, _again_ , wasn’t?” he countered. “We agreed that I’d help you fight him, Cloud.”

“I know,” Cloud said quietly. “I just…” _Was wholly unprepared to see you lying so still, even for a minute._ “He’s gone, at any rate.”

“For now,” Leon said. Cloud hummed his agreement. He still held Leon’s hands, and the tremours had only slightly lessened. He brushed his thumb over the back of Leon’s hand.

“So… wings, huh?” he asked, keeping his voice intentionally light to mask the fact that his mind was still absolutely reeling from watching his lover turn into some kind of half-beast. Leon had the decency to look sheepish.

“It’s… complicated,” he said. Cloud released his hands and leaned back against the rocks, raising one brow. Leon sighed, rising from his knees to stand. He turned and collected his gunblade, then extended his hand to Cloud. “I’ll tell you on the way home. It’s freezing and something tells me we won’t be meeting the others at the bar tonight.”

That was good enough for Cloud. He accepted Leon’s hand and gingerly pulled himself to his feet, keenly aware of how much blood he’d lost and how exhausted and sore he was. He stumbled, one of his legs giving out on him, but Leon caught him, wrapping one arm around his waist and holding him close. Cloud clung to him, hissing in frustration, perfectly aware of the soft way Leon chuckled at him. He looked up at Leon to glare, but instead found himself the recipient of a warm, possessive kiss. He melted immediately, hands clasping at Leon’s neck. He slipped his tongue against Leon’s lips and they parted for him eagerly. He wasn’t sure if it was his mouth or Leon’s that was gritty, but he didn’t think it mattered much, not when Leon’s fingers were digging insistently into his hip. Leon withdrew and Cloud fought not to follow those lips, only because he really did want an explanation for the wings and glowing eyes. Leon slipped an arm back around Cloud’s waist, guiding one of Cloud’s arms over his shoulders, and the two began the long walk home. And Leon talked.

He spoke haltingly at first, until he found that Cloud was a rapt audience, free of judgement. He spoke of how Griever had been Drawn straight from Leon’s mind - manifested by what he believed to be the ultimate Guardian Force. Strong, noble, indomitable, unstoppable. He had to fight it, and then the sorceress had Junctioned herself to it. Cloud still didn’t quite understand Junctioning, but Balamb had been continents away from Radiant Garden, and even further still from Midgar. Their para-magics had been so vastly different from materia, though after the world had fallen, he wasn’t sure if those continents or traditions even existed anymore. What Leon hadn’t told Tifa and Aerith was that after the battle, Griever still existed. It had been Drawn into the world and was now a part of it. With nowhere to go, it had retreated to its place of birth - to Leon, then just a young Squall, not even eighteen yet and burdened with the fate of the world. Returning to Leon, it had lost its feral nature and joined with him peacefully, willingly, and, it seemed, permanently.

When the worlds fell, when Radiant Garden was lost, controlling Griever had been nearly impossible. It roared for justice, for vengeance, and was willing to sacrifice it all for its noble cause, including Leon. Force of will tamed it, and Leon confessed that some days it was a struggle just to keep it quiet. Lately, he admitted, it was easier. It went unspoken that Cloud was responsible for that.

He also admitted that he’d never summoned Griever like that before. He’d lost control once, just after they’d arrived in Traverse Town. He hadn’t remembered anything, but the destruction around him was enough to tell him that Griever was furious with the loss of Radiant Garden.

“I didn’t know what would happen when I called on Griever back there,” Leon said quietly. “Best case scenario, I thought, was blacking out, letting him rip Sephiroth to pieces, and then have you talk me down. You - you calm him.” They were stepping through the Bailey now, gingerly picking their way up the stairs. “I didn’t realize I could do any of that.”

Leon fell quiet, and Cloud let his mind chew on everything he’d learned. He was pleased that he had such an effect on Leon, on Griever. Pleased that even Leon hadn’t been aware of what he was capable of. Pleased that Leon hadn’t been keeping him in the dark on purpose, and absolutely pleased that his _boyfriend_ had just kicked Sephiroth’s teeth in single handedly. He smirked at Leon, casting him a side eyed glance.

“It was nice to watch,” he said. Leon snorted.

“Is growing horns a turn on for you?” he asked, only slightly derisive.

“No.” Cloud shook his head. “Watching you take Sephiroth on for my sake was terrifying and maybe the best thing I’ve ever seen.” Leon stopped abruptly, shifting to stare at Cloud fully. Cloud did his best to look like he wasn’t ready to fall apart, his emotions having run too hot for too long. All he really wanted to do was to beat on Leon’s chest for being so foolhardy, kiss him for being a grade-A badass, hold him because he was so damn grateful that Sephiroth was gone again. Once, Leon’s expression would have been unreadable to Cloud. Now he knew that Leon was filtering through a hundred different things he wanted to say, but couldn’t figure out how to articulate. His brows were drawn slightly, his lips pursed like he wanted to chew on the insides of them but had broken the habit years ago.

“Cloud, I -” he began, cutting himself off. He raised his eyes, once again a startling shade of cobalt, and met Cloud’s gaze. “Finish your sentence.” Cloud furrowed his brow, unsure of what Leon meant. He was fairly certain he’d finished what he’d said; there wasn’t much left up for interpretation. Leon’s gaze softened then, like it so often did when they were alone together. When they were seated on the couch, carry out spread before them, an old B-movie playing on the TV screen. When Cloud came up behind Leon in the kitchen and kissed the back of his neck while he prepared dinner. When their fucking transitioned into well and truly making love -

Cloud’s eyes widened, and Leon’s smile widened, and he thought his heart might stop. How typical it would be of him, having survived his entire life up to this point, only to be taken out by his own emotions and cardiac arrest. He could feel his cheeks warming, his lungs wouldn’t cooperate, and he wrapped his fingers around Leon’s hand at his waist in a fierce grip.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Light didn’t shine on them, heavenly voices didn’t begin a choir of harmonious singing, doves didn’t flutter into the sunset above their heads. Their friends didn’t leap out of hiding places (though, honestly, he fully expected Yuffie to do just that), bells didn’t chime, and Leon didn’t swoon or burst into tears. It was anything but a quiet evening on the couch, they were not relaxing in bed, and Leon wasn’t petting a dog. They were two blocks away from home, battered and exhausted and barely able to stand without leaning against one another. Maybe that’s what made it perfect? That they’d found in each other someone they could lean against without feeling lesser for it. Or maybe it was just the way Leon’s smile spread across his face, rare and warm and reserved in such magnitudes only for Cloud to witness.

Cloud shifted, and Leon’s embrace transitioned from support him to cradling him. Ignoring the pain in his entire upper body, Cloud lifted his arms and rested them up on Leon’s shoulders. He tangled his fingers in Leon’s hair and pulled him down for a kiss, soft and nearly chaste. Leon pulled their bodies flush against one another and Cloud stepped closer, as close as he could manage without crawling up onto him, and he just didn’t have the energy for acrobatics at the moment. When Leon whispered, “I love you too,” quietly, softly, against his lips, Cloud felt his world implode.

He remembered cool blue water in a church, soaking into his clothes and healing him, taking the tar and poison and rage from his skin and washing it away. He remembered floating, unconscious and cared for all the same, through the soft blue-green essence of the lifestream. He remembered the crystalline beaches of the Destiny Islands, clear blue waves lapping at his ankles as he watched his friends splash in the surf. Soothing, comfortable, calming blue eyes twinkling at him not even a hair’s breadth away from his own. Heat radiated from Leon, hotter than dragonfire with none of the pain, brighter than a dozen and a half suns without scarring his retinas. His chest still ached with the affection he felt, and everything around him was set ablaze in the wake of his reciprocated feelings, but somewhere, hollowed out and carved to a perfect fit, Leon nestled within him. It was… refreshing, he decided. Everything about Leon, about their relationship, about their fucking _love_ , it was all fresh and exhilarating and soothing. Calming.

He still didn’t believe he deserved a light like Leon. Bright and indomitable, formidable, fierce, terrifying, _glorious_ Leon. Beautiful, kind, breath-taking Leon. No, he was sure he didn’t deserve Leon.

 _Well_ , he thought, leaning up for another kiss with a contented smile on his face. _I’ve always been a little selfish_.  

  
  
  


 

**Author's Note:**

> And that's a wrap! 
> 
> Or is it? I might add more in this universe; I'd certainly like to! Ignoring most of the events of KH3, of course, because it was an absolute dumpster fire of a game and I'm choosing to ignore it :) Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed this little series! Red, Green, and Blue are now complete. Red is for aggression and their spar for dominance. Green is for envy and jealousy. And Blue is peace, cool and calming. Please let me know what you thought! I enjoyed writing this, even if writing fighting scenes is super hard. I might write a second chapter to this, or a separate companion piece exploring Cloud's insecurity about deserving Leon, but from Leon's perspective. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are well loved and appreciated! Peace, love, and chai, friendos <3


End file.
